Dubbing the government at the Centre and Odisha as billionaire-friendly, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, alleging that both have entered into partnership to run the State.
Gandhi, who was addressing an election rally in Salipur under Kendrapara Parliamentary constituency, said the BRS government in Telengana was in partnership with the BJP. It was wiped out in the Assembly polls in the southern State and the Congress stormed back to power.
In Odisha, the same pattern of governance is going on. Here, BJD and BJP have entered into ‘matrimonial’ partnership. Both have formed an unholy nexus. They have imposed Pandian (Naveen Patnaik’s trusted aide) upon the Odia people to loot the State exchequer, he charged while predicting that the Congress will be voted to power in Odisha and at the Centre.
“Narendra Modi government is run by 22 to 25 billionaires, while Naveen Patnaik Government in Odisha is being run by a few handpicked people. All benefits are going to these billionaires while the common people are left to fend themselves,” he said.
Gandhi pinpointing corruption charges against the Naveen Patnaik Government said that mining scam to the tune of 9 lakh crore, Rs 20,000 crore of grabbing of agriculture land, plantation scam worth Rs 15,000 crore have been perpetrated by the State government.
If voted to power in the State and the Centre, the looted money will be routed back to the poor people of Odisha, he said.
The Congress if voted to power in Odisha will offer a guaranteed hike the minimum support price of paddy to Rs 3,000 per quintal and waiving all farm loans, pension of Rs 2,000 to farmers every month, he said.
Besides, it will provide 2,000 units of free electricity to every domestic consumer and LPG cylinder to every family at Rs 500 to middle class families.
Rahul Gandhi also promised youth a year-long apprenticeship with Rs 8,500 per month stipend, if voted to power in 2024.
Despite a scorching heat wave with mercury hovering around 42 degree Celsius, the poll rally drew an impressive assembly of people mostly from coastal Odisha.
The State leadership of the grand old party, which is apparently fighting the toughest election with large-scale exodus of its leaders jumping to BJD and BJP fold, are obviously elated over the success of Rahul Gandhi’s poll rally. They exude confidence that it will boost the morale of largely demoralized party cadres. Apart from desertion, the party had to contend with the crisis of finding suitable candidates in quite a number of Assembly and Lok Sabha seats. Gathering finances to fight polls amid high voltage campaign trails of BJD and BJP has also been a difficult proposition for the Odisha unit of Congress.
The Congress party in Odisha is lying low dwindling support from voters for more than two decades. Its vote share touched the lowest ebb at 17.02 per cent during the 2019 assembly elections, trailing way behind the Biju Janata Dal’s impressive 44.71 per cent. Bharatiya Janata Party with 32.49 per cent vote share replaced Congress as the principal Opposition party. Congress struggled to win nine seats only out of 147 Assembly seats in 2019. In the last parliamentary polls, it fared no better securing only one out of 21 Lok Sabha seats.