Elections 2019: Rahul Gandhi targets BJD over chit fund and mining scam

Bargarh: Ahead of the crucial 2019 elections, AICC president Rahul Gandhi today targeted BJD-led Odisha government over chit fund and mining scams. While addressing a public meeting at Bargarh, Gandhi assured of action against persons involved in both the mega scams in the State.

"Due to chit fund scam, people of the State were duped of Rs 5,000 crore while the Chief Minister of Odisha has handed over Rs 50,000 crore to his friends through the mining scam. If voted to power in Odisha, Congress will ensure that action is taken against those involved in such corruptions will be taken to task and justice is meted out to the people,” said Gandhi.

Slamming PM Narendra Modi, the AICC president said that farmers are committing suicide everyday in the country and the BJP-led government at the Centre has failed to fulfil its promise to end the plight of farmers.

"Modi government did not keep its promises. It made tall claims about farmers' welfare but it neither waived off their loans, nor hiked the minimum support price of paddy," he said.

Gandhi added farmers were also committing suicide in Bargarh as both the BJP-led government at the Centre and the BJD regime in the State have failed to address the problems of the peasants. “Though PM Modi raised farmers' issues in all his speeches, he is not committed towards waiving off farm loans,” he added.

Similarly, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had promised to construct cold storages across Odisha and provide irrigation facilities to farmers. But he has also failed to keep his promises. Most of the youths from Odisha are migrating to other parts of the country in search of work as the State has become the nerve center of unemployment, said Gandhi adding that there were 1.5 lakh government posts, 30,000 school teacher posts and 5,000 medical staff posts are lying vacant in the State.