Daggubati Purandeswari goes all guns blazing against Naveen govt, raises scams and questions efficiency
By Sukanta Kumar Mohanty
BHUBANESWAR, DEC. 13: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s new Odisha in-charge Daggubati Purandeswari on Saturday went all guns blazing against the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) alleging that it had failed to deliver good governance in the state.
Briefing media at party’s state headquarters in Bhubaneswar, the BJP leader, who is on a three-day visit to the state, said the Naveen Patnaik had backed out of its election period promises and commitments.
“In 2014 elections, the BJD had promised to provide pucca houses to all. The party also won next elections in 2019 by promising the same to people of the state. However, the ruling party is yet to convert the kutcha houses into pucca houses in rural areas under housing schemes,” she said.
She criticised the BJD government for not implementing Centre’s Ayushman Bharat Yojana in Odisha.
“Before launch of Ayushman Yojana at Centre, the CM Naveen Patnaik had announced the state’s own healthcare scheme Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana covering the poor beneficiaries under the programme. Whether the scheme is really benefiting the poor? Not a single person is willing to get registered under the programme,” she said.
She asked why CM Naveen did not take initiatives to roll out the Centrally sponsored healthcare scheme in the state.
“Don’t you (Naveen Patnaik) want welfare of poor people of your state? You should answer to them,” the BJP leader said.
Drawing attention of media over piped drinking water project, she said that as many as 1250 villages in Odisha where the residents strive to get drinking water and 1500 more villages are here where piped drinking water facility is still a distant dream.
She condemned the state government for discontinuation of disbursement of amount under state’s most populous flagship KALIA (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation) scheme, which has been merged with the Centre’s PM-Kisan Yojana.
“While the Centre is providing Rs 6,000 per year as minimum support to farmers under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sammann Nidhi scheme, the state government has stopped to disburse an amount of Rs 4,000 to the beneficiaries under KALIA programme. We were told that there are 35 lakh farmers in the state. Now, the state government is providing us data of 21 lakh farmers. This suggests that the enumeration by the state government has not been made accurately,”
Further attacking the state government, she alleged that the law and order situation in the State had deteriorated during BJD regime.
“The state government has failed to maintain its law and order in the state. Here, the women are being trafficked and raped. Recently, a five-year-old girl was killed and her parents attempted self-immolation in front of the State Assembly to get justice. Instead of responding to such incidents with sensitivity, Minister Arun Sahoo is protecting the culprits and CM Naveen Patnaik is yet to take any action against him,” she alleged.
She remembered the CM’s statement during the election campaign when he had termed 4.50 crore people of Odisha as his children.
“You (Naveen Patnaik) had promised to protect and preserve the people of Odisha like your own children. Humbly, I want to ask you whether the 5-year-old girl, who was murdered, was not among your 4.50 crore children,” she asked.
She said that the bureaucracy is dominating the governance in the state instead of the government.
“The people of Odisha have voted the BJD to power by keeping faith in Naveen Babu. They have not voted for any bureaucrat. This means Naveen Babu should govern the State not the bureaucrats,” she said.
The BJP leader targeted the state government on chit fund scam and alleged involvement of Pradeep Panigrahi in forgery cases.
