Congress takes swipe at Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik's open letter 

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Sarat Pattanayak on Tuesday went all guns blazing against Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's open letter asking the people of the State to give him more than 10 years. 

Addressing a presser, Pattanayak said, “Naveen Babu is happy that unemployed youths of the state are migrating to other states in search of work. He is happy that he has been able to deceive Odisha people for the last 24 years. He is number one in that. Contractors of other states are plundering the state and he is asking Odisha people if they are happy.”

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“The Congress government supplied Re 1 rice and the UPA government provided ambulance service. They (the BJD) branded them as their own. They have hijacked all the schemes and yojanas of the central government,” he added. 

“The BJD and the BJP are united. Plundering Odisha’s minerals is the objective of both the parties. The BJD has received electoral bonds worth Rs 900 crore. In such a situation, the Chief Minister is asking for ten more years. But the people won’t accept this,” he further added. 

Responding to the Congress, BJD MLA Sudhir Samal hit back at Pattanayak and said, “The allegations levelled by the Congress are baseless. During their rule, the budget was Rs 11,000 crore. Today’s budget is Rs 2.43 lakh crore. The 4.5 crore people of the state can see the extent of development that took place in their time and that has taken place now. The government has worked for all sections of the society. He has done nothing by asking for people’s cooperation.”

“No one has looted electoral bond money. It is open to all. Those who fund political parties do so legally. The allegations are baseless,” he added.