Naveen blows Panchayat poll bugle on BJD foundation day

Bhubaneswar: BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik today blew the bugle at the party’s 19^th foundation day for the ensuing Panchayat polls in Odisha scheduled in February next year.

“All the grassroots workers of BJD including its president are the servants of the people and with this mindset we will go to the people with a message of welfare and development. For me, there are is no distinction between the leaders and workers of my party as all of them are equal. Moreover, the grassroots party workers working in rural areas are our backbone and my door is always open for them,” Patnaik said while addressing the workers at the party’s headquarters office here.

Claiming that his party always believes in work and service and not words and propaganda, the chief minister said the promises BJD had made to the people of Odisha in the last elections are being meticulously fulfilled and the party will fulfill the remaining promises in the next three years.

“I have recently toured all districts in the state and while interacting with the people I was overwhelmed by their unstinting support to my party and the government as well,” Patnaik added.

Taking a dig at the opposition parties, he said after being rejected by the people, the opposition are now indulged in misinformation campaign against the BJD. “But they are a worried lot as such campaign has no impact on the people,” he pointed out.

Stating that the state government has continued its relentless fight for the development and welfare of Odisha, Patnaik said his government will never tolerate any attempt to hurt the self-esteem of the state. “Apart from this, the Centre has stopped providing assistance to Odisha under several welfare programmes for development in the tribal and backward districts. But the state government has sustained these programmes with its own resources,” he maintained.

Referring to Polavaram and Mahanadi issues, he said everyone in Odisha is well aware that the Centre is acting against the interest of Odisha as it is hand in glove with the Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh governments on Mahanadi and Polavaram issues respectively.

Expressing his profound gratitude to the people of Odisha as they remained unfazed by the waves in national politics during 2014 elections," Patnaik said the confidence of people in BJD has made him more responsible.