The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik targeted both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleging that leaders of these national political parties during election speeches were only shedding crocodile tears for people of Odisha.
After his road shows in different areas of his home district Ganjam on Wednesday, he addressed a series of election meetings in different assembly segments of Berhampur district on Thursday. In all these public meetings, he criticised the both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for not coming out in support of the people of Odisha after the Phailin cyclone in October 2013. His first election meeting was held at Purshottampur, which was the first campaign meeting of the BJD for the upcoming elections. Ganjam district was worst hit by the Phailin cyclone. “During this election leaders of various political parties have started to come over to Odisha with plethora of promises but we should ask, where were they when people of Odisha were suffering after the devastating Phailin?” the BJD president asked. He added that for political gains other political parties were shedding crocodile tears for people of Odisha in their election speeches.
He claimed that the relief and restoration work of BJD government after the Phailin cyclone had been appreciated at national level as well as by international organisations including the United Nations. He added that developmental projects taken up by his government in Odisha had received national and international acclaim.
Hinting at the fact that the BJD has decided to fight it all alone in the State without allying with any other party, Mr. Patnaik said he needed no support except for the love of four crore citizens of Odisha. Claiming that these four crore people of Odisha were his only strength and he would strive for them till his last breath, he urged people of Odisha to vote for the BJD.
Apart from Purushottampur, he also addressed election meetings at Kavisuryanagar, Polasara, Aska, Shergarh, Dharakote, Sorada and Chatrapur before leaving for Bhubaneswar.
Lokanath Rath, the Congress candidate from Aska Lok Sabha seat in Ganjam district protested against the ‘crocodile tear’ comment of the CM. Mr Rath said in reality the BJD president was shedding crocodile tears as development was still a far cry in rural as well as urban areas of Ganjam district.
