Patnaik accuses BJP of 'cheating' people by making 'false promises'

Nuapada (Odisha), Nov 7 (PTI) Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik on Friday accused the ruling BJP of "cheating" people by making "false promises" and forming a government.

Campaigning for the BJD candidate in the Nuapada bypoll, the BJD chief said the BJP can form a government by making "false promises", but cannot win the hearts of the people.

"They (BJP) can form a government by telling lies in a deceitful manner, make false promises, indulge in candidate 'chori', but cannot win the hearts of the people of Nuapada," the BJD president said at a well-attended public rally here.

The former five-time chief minister, who was supposed to start his road shows at Komna and Nuapada area at 11.20 am, could not reach the venue on time due to a delay in getting permission for his chartered flight to take off from the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Bhubaneswar.

While BJD youth wing president Chinmay Sahoo alleged that Patnaik's flight was deliberately delayed in an attempt to disrupt his programmes at Nuapada, BPIA director Prasanna Pradhan said that Patnaik's flight to Nuapada was delayed by around 25 minutes on Friday due to traffic clearance issues.

Pradhan said the pilot of the flight had not submitted the required papers for availing clearance from the authorities.

However, the BJD leader alleged that the flight from BPIA was delayed by nearly 70 minutes. "The delay in granting flight clearance by airport authorities was intentional and aimed at disrupting Patnaik’s road show and public meeting in Nuapada," Sahoo claimed.

While addressing the meeting, Patnaik did not mention his flight delay but alleged that there was an attempt to foil his previous election meeting at Komna in Nuapada.

"On November 3, I came to Komna. They (the BJP) created various obstacles so that people could not reach my meeting. They tried to stop people, but failed. The people came in large numbers, and I thank the people of Komna for that," Patnaik said.

Before reaching the venue of the public meeting, the BJD president took part in a 15-km-long road show at Komna and Nuapada areas, where people from different parts of the constituency gathered to welcome him.

While urging the people to give a befitting reply to the BJP's "lies and candidate "chori" in the bypolls, Patnaik again said "Betrayal is done to the people of Odisha, the Biju Janata Dal, and to me personally." Patnaik, during the speech, paid rich tribute to late party MLA Rajendra Dholakia and said that the Nuapada district was created during his father Biju Patnaik's tenure as the CM of Odisha, and the district witnessed development when the BJD formed government in the state.

Referring to the BJP, the former chief minister said, "Development does not take place through false propaganda. A government cannot be run on lies and false promises." Noting that the BJP government has already completed 500 days in office, Patnaik asked the gathering whether they have received 300 units of free electricity, Rs 3,500 old age pension, fertiliser for farmers at the proper time, jobs for youth, or loans for Mission Shakti women.

"What did you get? Only dhoka…dhoka and double dhoka (betrayal...betrayal and double betrayal)," the BJD president said, alleging that the people were getting "tension, not treatment" under the Ayushman scheme compared to the BJD government’s BSKY (Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana).

Calling upon the people to vote for BJD candidate Snehangini Chhuria in the by-poll, Patnaik said, "I saw pain and anger in your eyes. On November 11, give a strong answer to betrayal through your vote. Bless Snehangini Chhuria and vote for the Conch symbol." Patnaik uttered the word 'beimani' (betrayal), referring to alleged false promises made to the people by the BJP before the 2024 elections and also late Rajendra Dholakia's son becoming a BJP candidate after the death of his father.

Though Jay had himself announced in the media that he had received blessings of Naveen Patnaik and would contest as a BJD candidate, he at the last moment changed party and joined the saffron party and became a BJP candidate against his father’s party.

Earlier on the day, BJP spokesperson and MP Sambit Patra at a press conference in the presence of late Rajendra Dholakia's wife Kalpana, said: "The BJD president's words like 'beimani' and candidate chori have severely hurt the sentiments of the Dholakia family, who lost their kin some days ago." "The BJD was too insensitive when its MLA (Rajendra Dholakia) fell sick and was hospitalised in Mumbai and Chennai. The party did not come to the rescue of the family, which was facing difficulties. They did not even pay the air ambulance bill as promised," Patra told reporters, adding that Raju Bhai was not given due respect by the party.

The bypoll to the Nuapada assembly seat is being held following the demise of sitting BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia on September 8. PTI AAM AAM RG