Bhubaneswar: The BJP today alleged that Bharat Nirman sevaks were being used by the Naveen Patnaik government in Odisha for electoral purposes.
"Bharat Nirman sevaks who are voluntary workers are been used by Naveen Patnaik for electoral purposes. It is not only unfortunate, but also an affront to established constitutional norms and provisions," senior BJP leader and party's state spokesman Sameer Mohanty alleged to reporters here.
Producing documents, he claimed that district collectors have been instructed to utilise the sevaks to pull people to booths. "Though it appears as a noble initiative, there is more than what meets the eye.
"In the name of persuading people to vote, sevaks are trained to highlight achievements and schemes of Naveen government, he claimed.
"It shows BJD has created a new paradigm under which government treasury and administration are being misutilised for electoral gain, sacrificing all scruples, principles and constitutional norms," he said.
Mohanty alleged that the government which took recourse to such methods much before elections had also prepared a blueprint to utilise the treasury and the administration during the elections.