In what is being seen as a part of the preparation for the 2024 general elections, all the 22 legislators of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Odisha will leave for New Delhi on December 27 to meet the party leaders there.
These Odisha MLAs along with the party’s state president Manmohan Samal and the MPs are scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and National President JP Nadda.
According to senior BJP MLA Pradipta Naik, the meeting with party leaders in New Delhi will feature several key issues including its strategy towards the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
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“We as a group have not met the Prime Minister and the Home Minister after winning the last elections. So, we will have a meeting. We also have several issues to discuss like the state government hijacking the central government’s yojanas and programmes,” said Naik.
It is also expected that the meeting may brainstorm on strategies to be followed for the approaching elections.
Terming the BJP leaders’ visit as a drama, senior Congress leader Suresh Routray wryly said the BJP leaders are going to Delhi to bring funds to fight against the BJD. “They (BJP and BJD) have already decided that they would fight the election united. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have already made plans to ensure BJD’s victory in Odisha. And as per the plans, VK Pandian has resigned from his service,” he added.
In his response, BJD MLA Amar Satpathy said, “In the run-up to the election, such activities are common. There is nothing new. Their allegation that the state government is hijacking the central schemes is baseless. Even the union government is appreciating the state government for the proper implementation of the central schemes."