Bhubaneswar: Four communal unrests in three months have tarnished the image of Odisha, said Biju Janata Dal President and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Naveen Patnaik here on Monday.
Addressing the BJD leaders from Bhadrak and Sonepur districts at Sankha Bhawan, Naveen said that during the 24-year rule of the BJD government, the development of all regions and sectors of the state was given priority. Within the three months of the BJP government, the communal unrest in various parts of the state has tarnished the image of Odisha. First in Balasore, then in Khordha, Dhamnagar and Bhadrak, the communal unrest the raised questions about the performance of the BJP government, Naveen said.
Stating that peace and harmony is the identity of Odisha, Naveen advised everyone to work together to maintain it.
A lot of work has been done to reduce poverty during the BJD government, which has yielded success today. The poverty rate has come down to less than 10% from 70%. Odisha has performed well in various indicators of development, the BJD supremo said.
Naveen also urged the BJD leaders to make people aware about the good work done by the BJD government and expose the lies of BJP.
The BJD President also advised the party leaders from Bhadrak and Sonepur districts to play an active role in membership drive and Jana Samparka Padayatra.