Bhubaneswar,Oct 3: Union Minister of Sports Youth Affairs and Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur on Tuesday denounced the remark of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik dubbing the BJP as anti-people and anti- development.
Addressing newsmen here, Thakur said if we were “anti people and anti development “the people would not have voted us to power both in 2014 and 2019 elections with a comfortable margin.
The Union Minister said it does not matter what the Chief Minister has said adding “we believe in the strength of the people who will decide who is anti people and anti development”.
Thakur said “Sabka Saath Sabka Bikash” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot be an anti people or anti development.
Reacting to the statement of Patnaik, the Union Minister further said, ” We have never discriminated against Odisha in the development of the state. ”
Infact Odisha had received huge funds during the NDA regime under various welfare measures and central schemes in comparison to what was released by the previous UPA government. Thakur said Odisha had received only Rs.2,63,243 crore during the UPA government while the NDA government had released Rs.18,83,654 crore to the state during the last nine years.
Referring to the allegations of corruption and irregularities in the implementation of various central schemes in the state, Thakur said we will examine these and issue notice to the state if found any irregularities as is being done in case of West Bengal.
He, however, asked the Odisha government to ensure that all the central schemes are implemented properly so that the poor people will be benefited out of these schemes and programmes.
When asked whether the BJP will contest the election on its own in Odisha or will have any alliance with others the Union Minister said ‘BJP will contest the election on the strength of its workers.
BJP, he said, has the most popular leader Narendra Modi to fight the election and will come out with flying colours.
When asked to comment on the caste census of Bihar, Thakur said we will give our comments only after we examine it in detail.
