Nadda tears into Patnaik govt: ‘Administration has been outsourced (to bureaucracy)’

“I wonder who has been ruling the state. Is it the leaders or officers? No one pays heed to the BJD MPs and MLAs while officers are calling the shots. Total administration has been outsourced. Neither Naveen Patnaik nor leaders are ruling the state. Everyone knows who is ruling the state,” said Nadda.

Addressing a public meeting in Kalahandi, Odisha. #9YearsOfSeva https://t.co/grS2pMa3DX

— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) June 23, 2023

Nadda asked people whether they want such a government to continue. “You vote for someone while someone else rules the state. Time has come for the lotus to bloom in Odisha,” he said.

While Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan has been vocal for the past a few months over a handful of bureaucrats allegedly running the show in the state and the political leadership becoming subservient, BJP national spokesperson and Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi also said recently that governance has been hijacked by bureaucrats.

Alleging that Odisha remained backward despite the BJD government’s 23-year rule, Nadda said the per-capita income of the state is the lowest and it is also at the bottom in terms of farmers’ income as well as crimes against women.

“The state is neck-deep in corruption. It’s become a 50% state. Only 50% of funds are being utilised on the ground while the remaining 50% are being used as commission. Naveen Patnaik has failed in fulfilling his promise in terms of cold storages in every block and achieving 35% irrigation. There is no right for this government to remain in power,” said Nadda.

Reiterating that the BJD government has been renaming the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), the BJP national president said changing names of schemes will not help as PM Narendra Modi remains in the heart of the people of Odisha.

Nadda also attacked the BJD government over alleged discrepancies in allocation of PMAY-G houses and non-implementation of Ayushman Bharat Yojana in Odisha.

Referring to the meeting of opposition parties at Patna, Nadda said leaders like Lalu Yadav and Nitish Kumar, who were jailed by Indira Gandhi, are welcoming Rahul Gandhi today.

Stating that the world has acknowledged the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, Nadda said Congress is unable to digest this. Nadda also called Congress “anpadh” (uneducated) for misleading people on the growth rate and inflation in India, and added that despite global recession, leading rating agencies have stated that the Indian economy remained strong under Modi’s leadership.