Sambalpur: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said “Duiti Phoola Bahut Bhala” (twin flowers (lotuses) mean greater good) while reiterating BJP’s fight for Odia asmita (pride) and exhorting people of Odisha to vote for both MP and MLA candidates of the party.
Lotus is the party symbol of BJP. The ‘Duiti Phoola Bahut Bhala’ slogan is being seen as a reply to BJD’s ‘Jodi Sankha’ campaign, which in turn was coined to counter ‘double-engine government’ cry of the BJP.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of Parivartan Samavesh at Athamallik, Dharmendra, who is also the BJP MP candidate for Sambalpur, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set the context for the upcoming polls by rightly pointing out that Odisha’s ‘identity and language’ is under threat.
“This Samavesh was not only about parivartan (change) but also about asmita (pride), and vikash (development) of the state. Odisha is rich in mineral and water resources and has a vast coastline. There is no dearth of fertile land or forest resources and people here too are very hardworking. Despite this, it is lagging behind other states in almost all sectors. Odisha ranks last in providing employment opportunities and scores poorly when it comes to women safety. It is also grappling with the problem of malnutrition, lack of doctors and teachers in hospital and educational institutions, respectively, and corruption to top it all. Everything is in a mess in the state,” he alleged.
Dharmendra further said that there is no system of governance in Odisha. “Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is on a video and the remote of the video is in the hands of another man, who hates people of Odisha and also puts them behind bars. Officers, drawing salary from people’s hard earned money, are now at helm. They need to be ousted,” he said.
The Union Minister said that PM Modi has, therefore, urged people to vote for BJP to help make Odisha the number 1 state. “The wind of change is clearly visible in Sambalpur and the entire state. Odisha will significantly continue to BJP’s victory in India and PM Modi will assume office for the third term. The party will also form government in the state,” he asserted, adding that Sankha (the symbol of BJD) has been damaged and it can no longer be blown.
In an interview to a television channel on Sunday, Modi said that Odisha’s identity is under threat and there is also a danger to Odia language, even as BJP national president J P Nadda highlighted ‘outsider’ influence on Odisha politics at a rally in Berhampur.
