Bhubaneswar, January 16: Union Minister DharmendraPradhan on Tuesday came down heavily on Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over transformation and development of Odisha and dareds him for open debate with him.
“I ask the Chief Minister to come for an open debate on transformation of Odisha without bringing ‘gumsta’. If Manmohan Bahi (BJP Odisha unit president Manmohan Samal) allows me, I will debate with the CM on behalf of our party,” said Pradhan at Mishran Parba organised at the BJP headquarter here.
Highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s able leadership and governance model, Pradhan said, “One crore people in Odisha have moved out of poverty due to PM Narendra Modi. It is not appropriate on the part of the CM to describe opposition as anti-development. The statement should be based on fact and figure.”
Hitting out at the CM over the massive unemployment rate in the State in a ‘transformed’ Odisha, Pradhan said, “I ask the Chief Minister to publish a White Paper on employment scenario at least in Hinjili Assembly constituency, which you have been representing for the last 25 years.”
“I appeal to the ruling party MLAs to accompany me to Gujarat to see how water is being harvested, preserved and stored for irrigation purposes in Gujarat due to the able leadership of Prime Minister Narednra Modi. But you (CM Naveen Patnaik) are not able to provide water to farmers. Your (CM) gumasta are looting the Odisha and the people of Odisha,” said Pradhan
“I don’t need an East Indian Company’s certificate on my performance. People of Odisha know well what I have done for the State. The so-called transformation in Odisha is just eyewash and showing lanterns to the people in broad daylight,” the Union Minister said.
