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Bhubaneswar: In a stinging attack on Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, senior Congress leader and MLA Suresh Routray on Friday claimed that the BJD president’s political career was launched with the blessings of the BJP.
Hitting out at BJD leaders for dubbing Congress and BJP as one, the firebrand leader said the regional party must realise that Naveen’s political career owed its allegiance to the saffron party.
Claiming that Naveen’s baptism in politics was because of the blessings of Atal Bihar Vajpayee, the Jatni legislator said the ruling BJD in the state has all along been supporting all legislations and measures of the BJP-led government at the Centre because of its loyalty towards the saffron party.
The BJD government has been causing considerable harm to the state and its people by backing the wrong policies of the Centre, he claimed while talking to reporters.
It was Naveen who was instrumental in making Ashwini Vaishnaw the Railway Minister as his party had sent him to Rajya Sabha following instruction of top BJP leaders, Routray said, adding “all these amply show that BJD and BJP are together.”
Noting that BJD had shared power with BJP for nine years in a coalition government in the state, the Congress leader said that after being inducted into politics, Naveen was also a Union Minister in the BJP-led government before he confined himself to state politics.
“In 2024 elections, BJD will be exposed. People will come to know who is with BJP,” Routray said, asking Naveen to stop being loyal to BJP if he wished to survive in state politics as people are suffering because of unprecedented price rise and growing unemployment for which both the Centre and BJD government in the state are responsible.
Claiming that Naveen’s major worry was a possible threat from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Routray said the BJD president has a lot of money and that is why he is afraid of the ED.
To a query about Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan contesting from Dhenkanal, the Congress leader said, “It will be a good fight if Naveen, Dharmendra and OPCC President Sarat Pttanayak lead their respective parties in the next polls.”
He, however, lamented that Dharmendra was not playing the role he is required to in the state and also kept himself away from the recent three-day training programme organised by the saffron party in Puri.
Asserting that Congress is rejuvenating itself as a valiant political force following the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ being organised by the party under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, he said the party organisation is being strengthened and 80 per cent of the youth will be given an opportunity to closely associate themselves in party affairs.
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