Bhubaneswar: BJP national President Jagat Prakash Nadda said on Thursday that the saffron party is fighting family-based parties in various parts of the country, including in Odisha.
Addressing booth-level workers at the Janata Maidan here, Nadda said BJP is the biggest political party in the world with a strength of 18 crore.
“There is no party in the world with such strength. We are an ideology-based national party. For us, it is always nation first, but keeping in mind the regional aspirations,” he said.
“This is a cadre-based party with a mass following. After the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, we formed government in Bihar, Assam and Puducherry for the first time… So, we are a national party with government in maximum states,” Nadda said.
“Today we are fighting against the Indian National Congress, but the party no longer remains national nor Indian as it has become a party of brother and sister,” he said.
“We are also fighting against dynasty-based parties. Abdullahs and Muftis in Jammu & Kashmir, Chautalas in Haryana, Badals in Punjab, Akhilesh in UP, Yadav in Bihar, and Soren in Jharkhanda. In Odisha it is one man party… We are fighting parties run by families,” he added.
“Dynasty politics is also prevalent in Odisha with the presence of Biju Patnaik’s party. BJP is the only party that is not family-based and is driven by ideology,” said the BJP chief.
Nadda also informed the party workers about the steps taken by the Narendra Modi government for providing safe drinking water, power supply, pucca houses, toilets etc. for the people of Odisha.
Institutions like AIIMS, IIM, NISER and many medical colleges have been set up by the Modi government in Odisha, he said.
“The first tribal President of India, Droupadi Murmu, is from Odisha and more than 15 persons from the state have been conferred with Padma awards. This was never the case during the UPA rule and shows PM Modi’s immense love for the state,” he added.
Taking a dig at the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government in Odisha, Nadda said, “This government puts lebels on Central schemes. The PM Awas Yojana is being branded as Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana. While 50 crore people have been included under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, 60 lakh people in Odisha are deprived of it.”
The Centre has allocated Rs 15,490 crore to Odisha under MGNREGA but fake bills are being made here, he said.
“Similarly, crores of rupees are being spent under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). Yet tribal women in Odisha are going to ponds and wells to fetch drinking water. It shows that the Naveen Patnaik-led government is riddled with corruption,” the BJP chief said.
Claiming that protectors have become perpetrators of crime in Odisha, Nadda said, “The state of governance in Odisha can be gauged from the fact that three ministers are accused of murder.”
Nadda added that even the ‘Ratna Bhandar’ of Lord Jagannath is not safe in Odisha.
“Ratna Bhandar’s key was missing and later a duplicate key was found. Uproot this type of duplicate government and bring BJP to power in Odisha,” he said.
“The BJD has been ruling Odisha for 20 years, yet it has failed to ensure ambulance service for pregnant women in the remote areas,” the BJP leader claimed.
It’s time to uproot this government and bring a double-engine ‘sarkar’ for development, Nadda told the party workers.
The BJP President is on a two-day visit to the state. This is Nadda’s first visit to Odisha after being appointed as BJP chief.
–IANS