Cassian Baliarsingh

Speaking at the two-day workshop in Bhubaneswar,Biju Janata Dal (BJD) minister Ranendra Pratap Swain confessed that he was not allowed to take names of any leader as he targeted the BJP for price rise, unemployment and loan waiver of businessmen and industrialists.

“Do you remember the slogan “Bahut Huyi Mehangayi Ki Maar, Agli baar …… Sarkar”, Swain said without completing the sentence. Later, he confessed that he was not allowed to take names although it was clearly know that he was targeting PM Modi and JP Nadda who is on a two-day visit to Odisha.

Later, he went on to say that the slogan was a cruel joke on the people of both Odisha and India as the value of rupee is at its lowest, prices of petrol and diesel, and LPG are at an all time high and unemployment was at record high.

He further went on to add that ‘they’ had money to waive loans of businessmen and industrialists but not for the development of Odisha and the poor in the country. However, he repeatedly confessed that he wasn’t allowed to take any names.

Now, leaders of Opposition have raised serious questions as to who had restricted the minister from taking names. Even as the BJD organised a two-day workshop to counter JP Nadda’s ‘Samyukta Morcha Sammelan’ in Bhubaneswar, the repeated confession of Swain to not take names has left many in dizzy.

While JP Nadda came down heavily on Naveen and his government and slammed them for corruption, fraud in housing schemes, MGNREGA and Ayushman Bharat Yojana, no BJD leaders dared to even take the name of a BJP leader during the workshop.

Many have questioned if CM Naveen Patnaik has advised his ministers to not take names. But, why has the CM advised to do so, they questioned?

Moreover, the presence of a motivational speaker at the BJD workshop has sparked row. Political analysts questioned on the reason of the presence of a motivational speaker at the workshop while CM Naveen Patnaik who is currently in Odisha himself remained absent.

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