Bhubaneswar: Launching a scathing attack on the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government on lack of development in the state, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah today said BJP will win the 2019 elections with a two-thirds majority.
Addressing a mass gathering at Hugulupata in Ganjam district, Shah said 'Booth Committee' would be formed in all the 37000 booths across the State in a time-bound manner, adding that he has worked at grassroots level and well-aware of the issues.
Tearing into the failures of the BJD government, Shah said, “People of Odisha are yet to get electricity and drinking water even after 17 years of rule of the BJD government. Toilets are still elusive in villages and the rate of educated unemployed is increasing in the State.”
Despite being rich in minerals, natural resources and hundreds of kilometers of coastline, Odisha continues to be a poor State and is ‘far behind’ in terms of development, the BJP president alleged.
Shah also hailed the warriors of Paika rebellion in the State, through his twitter handle, who fought the British government.
Shah today kicked off his three day campaign in Odisha to strengthen the party at the root level and encourage party workers by launching a door-to-door campaign.
With an agenda to establish local connect in all districts, Shah today received a rousing reception throughout his trip from Bhubaneswar to Ganjam district on the first day of his 3-day visit to the State. He addressed booth connectivity programme ‘Mo Booth Sabuthu Majboot’ of the party accompanied by other senior leaders including Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, State President Basant Panda, vice president Sameer Mohanty and other party workers.
Travelling in a long cavalcade, Shah stopped at Badapokhariya and interacted with the gathering. Prior to that large number of people were seen making serpentine queues outside the State guest house in Bhubaneswar to meet the BJP leader.
He will be meeting five families at Hugulapata village and interact with the workers to boost their morale as a preparedness for the Odisha agenda 2019. He will also partake lunch with a Dalit family in the village today. Later, he will address a gathering of booth level workers from Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal districts at Ambapua.
Union Minister Jual Oram and Leader of the BJP legislature party in Odisha KV Singhdeo are also scheduled to attend the conference.
Shah's second day schedule includes similar events in Jajpur district. On Day-3, he will have a meeting with some families at Basantpur, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar and have breakfast there. Later, a meeting of party leaders will be held at a hotel in Bhubaneswar.
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On the other hand, senior Congress leader Sarat Rout said, “BJP has no base in Ganjam district. So, the party is trying to establish its presence in the district but it would not succeed in it as its intention was exposed post demonetization and GST."
Similarly, BJD spokesperson Pratab Keshari Deb said, "It’s obvious that BJP will blame BJD but details of the Central funds to the State and expenditure by the Odisha government are available on internet. I am not in favour of raising such baseless allegations on public platform.