Bhubaneswar: Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan has said BJP will continue its fight to achieve Mission 120+ in Odisha.
BJP president Amit Shah had launched the mission to win more than 120 seats in the 147-member State Assembly. However, the party is able to win just 23 seats in the recent poll.
Addressing a party programme organised here to felicitate all the elected members of BJP, Saturday, Pradhan said, “Political workers should continue their effort till they meet their political expectation. ‘Mission 120+’ is there till BJP fulfils it. Our party will not abandon this mission.”
Though there was a strong Modi wave in the country, BJP had not fared well in the 2014 elections. But now, BJP has emerged as principal Opposition party in the state, he said.
For the first time, reposing faith in Narendra Modi, about one crore people have voted for BJP and sent eight MPs to Parliament, Pradhan said.
Criticizing BJD, the Union minister said, “Those who are claiming to send 21 MPs to Delhi, has got a befitting reply from the people in this elections.”
By giving a place to Balasore MP Pratap Sarangi in his council of ministers, Modi has honoured the four crore people of Odisha, Pradhan said, adding that the Centre will extend all kinds of support to the state for the development of Odia people.
During his address, Union Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Pratap Chandra Sarangi shared his experience of becoming a minister in Modi government 2.0. Sarangi said he was surprised after getting a call from party president Amit Shah.
“On that day, I was roaming in the party office to get a few tickets for our party workers, who want to attend the swearing-in ceremony. At that time, Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi was asking me, ‘have you got call from Delhi. But at that point of time, I had not received any call.’”
“When Shah had called me twice, my mobile phone was not with me. When I got the phone call, I was completely surprised. I even don’t know, why he was calling me to join the ceremony and attend a meeting in Modi’s house,” Sarangi said.
He said it is the spirit of BJP which can make a tea seller a PM and a poor fellow like him as a Union minister. He gave credit to all BJP workers who have worked hard for his victory.
The Balasore MP also said those BJP workers who sabotage the party will not succeed.
Many elected and BJP candidates, who lost the election, were present at the meeting. BJP state unit in-charge Arun Singh, senior leaders including Biswa Bhusan Harichandan, Damodar Rout, Bijoy Mohapatra, Baijayant Panda and state president Basant Panda attended the event.
