Bhubaneswar: Mounting a scathing attack on Odisha’s BJP government, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused it of exploiting the poor for the benefit of a few billionaire industrialists.
Addressing a ‘Save Constitution’ rally in Bhubaneswar, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha alleged that Odisha is virtually being run by industrialist Gautam Adani ever since Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed government in the state.
Both Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed the massive public rally held by the party at Baramunda Ground in Bhubaneswar. The Congress heavyweights launched a blistering attack on both BJP and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) over a host of issues pertaining to Odisha and its people.
Hailing Congress workers as ‘Babbar Sher,’ Rahul said the Constitution of the country protects the poor, the oppressed, farmers, and backward communities. “It is not written anywhere that it belongs to Ambani, Adani, or any billionaire. However, there are only Adani’s posters everywhere in Odisha. It appears that Adani is running the government in the state,” he said.
Referring to the recent Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri, the Congress stalwart alleged that Adani’s influence was evident as the chariots were halted because of his company’s intervention.
Voicing serious concerns over women’s safety and unemployment in the state, Rahul sought to know as to how many jobs has the state government created for the youth of Odisha.
He alleged that over 40,000 women have gone missing, and no one knows their whereabouts. Women are being raped every hour but the government is simply watching, he claimed.
Accusing BJP government and the previous BJD regime of exploiting the state’s resources, Rahul claimed that the only objective of this government is to loot Odisha’s natural wealth for the benefit of a few industrialists.
“Just like the previous regime, this BJP government is allowing 5-6 companies exploit everything —land, water, and forests. These resources belong to the tribals and no one has the right to snatch them away,” said Rahul.
Coming down heavily on BJP, he accused it of undermining the Constitution across the country, and claimed that the saffron party tried to tamper with it in Bihar, and now it is doing the same in Odisha.
Stating that caste-based census was successfully conducted by the Congress government in Telangana, he said it should be implemented in Odisha too to determine the exact population distribution across communities and understand their social and economic status.
Referring to the ongoing strike by drivers in the state, Rahul claimed that the agitation was part of a BJP conspiracy to derail the Congress’ event. “BJP pressured the drivers’ union to hinder our rally. However, we prevailed as the union agreed to pause their strike for a day. The state government must take responsibility and address the legitimate demands of the protestors,” he said.
The Congress heavyweight urged party workers in Odisha to remain fearless and dedicated in their mission to reach the people.
