Odisha people fully prepared for double-engine govt, says Union Minister Rajnath Singh in Baripada 

The people of Odisha are fully prepared for a double-engine government in the state. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said this at the party’s Vijay Sankalp Samavesh held at Baripada in Mayurbhanj on Thursday. 

While addressing the gathering at Chhau Ground in Baripada during his one-day Odisha visit, Singh said, “From the excitement and enthusiasm I am seeing among the party workers and people, my belief has been affirmed that Odisha is ready to take off for a new flight. If I am talking about new flight, it means the people of Odisha are fully prepared to see the formation of a double-engine government here.”

Also Read: Our govt is in Centre, our govt will be in Odisha as well: Rajnath Singh

“I have information that this part of the area is dominated by tribal people. Our tribal people have a glorious history. But due to some reasons, it has not been possible to take the information of their glorious history to that level where it should have reached.  Be it former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee or present Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they have a deep respect for tribals. Could anyone think of any Prime Minister would come and make a tribal woman as the President of India? At the same time, the Congress couldn’t muster courage to support the proposal of the PM to make her the President,” he said. 

“If any government has made a decision to observe Birsa Munda’s birthday as Janjatiya Gourav Divas, it has been done by Modiji’s government,” he added. 

His assertion of forming a double-engine government in Odisha also resonated in his addresses in earlier meetings at Nabarangpur and Berhampur. 

In his addresses, he urged the party workers to work for 12 hours per day to make the Prime Minister’s target of the NDA to achieve 400 plus in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Giving comparative pictures of allocations Odisha received during the 10 years of UPA government and the 9 years of Modi government, he said, “The central government has given Rs 18 lakh crore to Odisha in nine years. The BJP is such a party in the country that walks the talk. 

The Defence Minister’s assertion of forming double engine government in Odisha prompted Congress and the BJD to counter it. 

“They were speaking about double-engine earlier as well. It didn’t happen so. Here no engine will work anymore. In the coming days, the stability of the present single-engine government is also in question,” said PCC chief Sarat Pattanayak. 

Responding to the Defence Minister’s assertions, BJD leader Pradeep Majhi said, “They can never form government here. They should forget about it. If they try their level best, they will have to contend with 10 to 20.”