Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday that he was hurt seeing the poverty in Odisha despite the state having “so many mineral resources”, and alleged that the Chief Minister’s Office and residence had been captured by “a handful of corrupt people”. In an indirect dig at V K Pandian, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s close aide and BJD’s key election strategist who is from Tamil Nadu, Modi also claimed that people were saying the keys of the Puri Jagannath Temple’s Ratna Bhandar (treasure trove) had been sent to the souther state. Addressing a rally at Angul, in his third visit to Odisha in a fortnight, Modi said, “The farmers here are in trouble. The youth is going to other states for jobs. The situation is even worse in tribal areas. Despite having a lot of mineral resources, the situation has led to migration. Why are the people here forced to live in poverty despite the state having so many resources? I am hurt by seeing the condition of Odisha.” “Who is responsible for the sorry state of affairs in Odisha? It is the BJD government which is under the control of some corrupt people. A handful of corrupt persons have grabbed the Chief Minister's Office and residence. Small workers of the BJD have now become crorepatis,” he said. The rally coincided with the fifth phase polling, being held across five Lok Sabha seats and 35 Assembly segments in Odisha. The election for Angul Assembly seat and the Dhenkanal Lok Sabha seat, under which Angul comes, will be held on May 25. He also mentioned the issue of the “missing keys” to the Ratna Bhandar of the Puri Jagannath Temple. “When keys of our own houses are not found, we pray to Lord Jagannath and seek his blessings to find the keys. But keys of the Ratna Bhandar have been missing for six years,” he said. “All of Odisha wants to know about the findings of the inquiry committee report on the missing keys of the Ratna Bhandar, but the BJD has suppressed it. BJD’s silence is further deepening people’s doubt on the issue,” said Modi. At a rally in Cuttack, he said, “People say that the key of Shri Ratna Bhandar has gone to Tamil Nadu. Who sent it to Tamil Nadu?” It was seen as an indirect reference to V K Pandian, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s close aide and BJD’s key election strategist, who is originally from the southern state. Exuding confidence that Odisha, where Assembly elections are being held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls, would get its first “double engine BJP government”, the Prime Minister said pollsters were astonished by the mood of the people towards a third term for his government at the Centre.
