LIVE TV
India
Recommended Stories
Bhubaneswar: The ruling-BJD today targeted BJP's national president Amit Shah ahead of his visit to Odisha tomorrow saying it will have no impact as people have already rejected the saffron party.
Shah's visit comes in the wake of the BJP's defeat in the Bijepur bypoll where its candidate lost to BJD by over 40,000 votes.
Addressing a presser here on Tuesday, BJD General Secretary (Students Affairs) Arun Sahu alleged that the BJP government has cheated the youths of the country.
BJP had promised to generate two crore jobs every year but it failed miserably, else 9-10 lakhs youths from Odisha would have been employed, said Sahu.
"While the BJD is getting stronger, the BJP is falling apart. Amit Shah visited the State several times in the past but failed to generate any impact," he added.
Reacting to BJD's comments, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, "The BJD should actually be happy if they feel that Shah's visit will have no impact. However, their reactions suggest that they are afraid from within."
"Shah's visit will change the political contours in Odisha. He will replicate the strategies that helped the party win in many states in the country," BJP Spokesperson, Sajjan Sharma said.
Shah will address two public meetings at Bhawanipatna and Bolangir on April 4 and 5, respectively. He will also meet party office-bearers to chalk out strategise for the 2019 Assembly polls, said Sharma.
A step which is seen as a counter measure to Shah’s visit, the BJD has planned a public meeting in Ganjam district tomorrow where former Union Minister Chandrasekhar Sahu and several other Congress leaders will join the party in presence of party president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
On the other hand, the BJD today informed that the activists of its Biju Yuva Janata Dal and the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal wings will launch a state-wide peaceful protest on April 7 against the continuous rise in fuel prices.
