The state unit of the BJP on Tuesday came out with all guns blazing against BJD leader VK Pandian’s statement on Mission Shakti and BSKY made during campaigning at Chitrakonda in Malkangiri on Monday.
VK Pandian on Monday visited Chitrakonda in Malkangiri to campaign for the party’s Nabarangpur Lok Sabha candidate Pradeep Kumar Majhi and Chitrakonda Assembly candidate Laxmipriya Nayak.
'Threat to Mission Shakti and Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana'
While addressing a gathering, he said the first thing BJP would do after coming to power is to discontinue the Mission Shakti and Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY).
“What will they do after coming to power? On the first day, they would stop Mission Shakti and Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana. So you the 4.5 crore people should strengthen our Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s hands,” he said.
Misleading Propaganda
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan countered the BJD leader and termed the statements as misleading propaganda during election time.
“He is ‘gumasta’. What can I answer to him? Modiji is laying emphasis on making ‘didis’ ‘lakhpatis’. I am the leader of that party. ‘Didis’ should become ‘Lakhpati didis’. Their earnings should increase and they should be self-sufficient. This is the principle of the Modi government. Forget about what the ‘gumasta’ is saying," he added.
BJP’s state president Manmohan Samal and Vice President Golak Mohapatra also joined the Union Minister and countered the BJD.
“It is natural of them (BJD) to say such things out of disappointment. Nothing can be said about it. They know they can’t run BSKY as they don’t have funds. At the same time, they don’t want to implement the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana fearing PM’s resultant popularity,” said state BJP president, Manmohan Samal.
“If the BJP forms government here, women will become ‘lakhpatis’. We want to send them to Europe and America. We want to make them self-reliant. Had the Ayushman Bharat been implemented, a beneficiary would have received Rs 15 lakh. The gumasta should refrain from misleading people,” said Mohapatra.
BJD’s counterattack
“If the BJD has been able to endear itself to people, it is because of these two things. So, if any other government is formed, they would try to discontinue these two things. Keeping this in view, VK Pandian had said to people that if they would vote another party to power, then all these welfare yojanas would be discontinued,” said BJD leader Pradeep Majhi.
What political analysts say
Political analysts believe that the BJP’s several announcements for women and SHG members may make a dent in the BJD’s women vote bank.
“It is quite natural that if its (BJD) women vote bank goes asunder, it would be a huge setback to them. So they are going to any extent to keep it intact,” said Prasanna Mohanty, a political analyst.
Later in the day, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, "BJP will form government in the state. The BSKY will not be discontinued. BSKY will be clubbed with Ayushman Bharat.”