Bhubaneswar: As the election day draws closer in Bijepur Assembly constituency, the BJD and BJP are missing no opportunities to attack each other.
A day after union minister Dharmendra Pradhan asked BJD veteran Prasanna Acharya to explain why the bypoll was enforced on the voters of Bijepur, Prasanna not only answered his question, but also took a dig at the saffron party.
Addressing a public meeting at Uparapada, Acharya pointed to Prime Minister Modi leaving Vadodara after 2014 general elections and called relinquishing extra seats ‘a part of democratic process’.
Besides, he took on Pradhan and urged him to show traces of development that his party promised all along.
It may be mentioned here that Pradhan had attended a road show and had addressed a gathering at a public meeting here.
He had said the people of western Odisha were hopeful of overall development in this part of the state and that had led to the CM’s victory. He termed Naveen leaving Bijepur ‘a betrayal of the mandate’ and had asked the BJD to answer why yet another election was forced down the throats of the voters.
Pradhan also expressed confidence about winning the seat and said, “The people of Bijepur have made up their mind. It will be reflected November 21. The Congress is nowhere in Odisha. It is now acting as BJD’s ‘B’ team.”
Addressing crowd in his home turf, Acharya didn’t forget to reply to Dharmendra on this count either.
Exuding confidence about retaining the seat, Acharya said, “BJP spoke about winning the state during the general election as well. We all saw what happened. It will be no different in Bijepur this time.”
On terming Congress as BJD’s ‘B’ team, he said, “BJP and Congress are in the competition to be the ‘B’ team of one another and BJD has never been in that race.”
