Bhubaneswar: The Congress on Friday said the ruling BJD government has been forced to rake up anti-Centre stance after the visit of Rahul Gandhi to Odisha.
“The disclosure about the bonhomie between the BJD and the BJP-led NDA government made by the Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi during his recent visit to Odisha has forced the ruling party in the state to raise its anti-Centre stance,” Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Prasad Harichandan after the PCC office-bearers meeting at Congress Bhawan here.
Senior Congress leader and leader of the Opposition Narasingh Mishra said if the incompetence and corruption of the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government can be properly presented before the people, there will be a certain change of government in the state.
“We will implement the blueprint prepared by the Congress and I am sure that we will succeed in our efforts”, Mishra told the media.
Taking a swipe at the BJD, AICC leader and Odisha in-charge BK Hariprasad said the ruling party has failed on all fronts.
“The state government has failed to tide over the power crisis as the state is experiencing frequent power outages. Besides, it has neither taken any action on the CAG report about the closure of primary and secondary schools in the state nor given any clarification on the alarming deaths of infants in Sishu Bhawan and the infant mortality. It seems that the state government has no time to think over these critical issues”, Hariprasad said.
Reacting to the statements of the Congress leaders, BJD spokesperson Pratap Jena said the BJD has always maintained equi-distance from the Congress and the BJP.
Referring to the gross apathy of the Centre towards Odisha, Jena said the BJD had never remained silent on the high-handedness of the Centre.
“The announcement of special package to Bihar on the one hand and the deliberate slashing of Central assistance on major welfare schemes on the other, speaks volume of the Central apathy towards Odisha,” he observed.
Criticising the Congress, Jena asked “When a party has lost its entity in the country, why do you think we would speak anything against it?