The BJP on Sunday ruled out any scope for alliance with its erstwhile coalition partner the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
“Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are hand-in-glove as far as corruption is concerned. Valuable minerals are being transported out of State without making a pause. While miners and the ruling party got richer by the loot of mineral, there is no improvement on the poverty front,” said senior BJP leader Chandan Mitra, addressing a press conference here on Sunday.
Mr. Mitra said, “There is no question of forming an alliance with the BJD. The BJD is neck deep in corruption. Even district-level party leaders are firmly against the coalition.”
“People in the State are no longer ready to be fooled by superficial simplicity of the Chief Minister. This time, the corrupt government will be rejected by the people,” he said. Asked what made the BJP confident despite getting a drubbing in the panchayat and civic body elections, Mr. Mitra said, “Local elections are entirely different. When it comes to Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, issues will be bigger. People would judge parties on the basis of the issues. In Odisha, the party will go to the elections with two major planks — corruption and development.”
“Besides, the wave of Narendra Modi is sweeping across the country. People are getting attracted to the leadership of Mr. Modi,” he said.
Terming the Aam Admi Party as a regional party, the BJP leader said, “Its influence is confined to Delhi alone. It has no comparison with the BJP at the national level.”
