By Sudarsan maharana
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Jan 8: Congress state in-charge BK Hariprasad Thursday criticised Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Amit Shah’s conspicuous silence over the issue of scams and corruption in the state and said that the Mahasangram campaign is a case of match-fixing between the BJP and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
“The Mahasangram launched by the party in the state turned into Mahasamarthan when Amit Shah arrived in Orissa to launch it. It was a case of match-fixing between the BJP and BJD for which Shah abstained from making negative remarks against the ruling party,” the AICC leader said while addressing newspersons on the concluding day of its Nava Chintan meet here.
“When there is a BJD government in the state, why did Shah, during his 24 minute long speech, target the Congress for 19 minutes?” he asked.
The words were echoed by Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Prasad Harichandan. “The BJP and BJD have adopted the strategy of ‘protection and support’,” he said.
“While the ruling party seeks protection from CBI probe into chit fund scam in the state, the BJP seeks its support in Parliament,” Harichandan said.
“The BJP government, in the name of reducing prices of petrol and diesel, is cheating the people. The price of crude oil in the international market has fallen from $110 to $55 in past six months. However, the BJP government reduced Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) price by around 45 per cent, but has reduced the price of petrol and diesel by just 15 and 11 per cent, respectively. The price of ATF per litre is less than that of diesel and this reflects the pro-corporate policy of the BJP government,” he said.
“However, our party will continue its fight against the BJD and BJP and will win public trust to come back to power in the state and the Centre,” Harichandan said.
The Congress has decided to hold rallies in seven different phases across the state, said Harichandan on the conclusion of two-day introspection meet ‘Nava Chintan’ here.
“The rallies will be held in Phulbani region, Balasore-Keonjhar, undivided Cuttack, undivided Koraput and other three places,” he said.
“Three more introspection meets will be carried out for workers at the block level across the state to strengthen its base at the grassroot level. The venue will be fixed soon,” he said.
BJD spokesperson Pratap Jena countered that the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government has always maintained equal distance from both the Congress and the BJP and both the parties are equal in the BJD’s eyes. “So the Congress should stop playing politics and should highlight the pro-people agenda implemented by BJD government understanding which the people of the state elected Naveen Patnaik as their Chief Minister for the fourth consecutive period,” said Jena.
BJP leader and MLA Basanta Kumar Panda also criticised the Congress remarks. “Leaders of the Congress are making such remarks as they have lost their mental stability. People of the country did not even give it a chance to play the role of Opposition in Parliament,” said Panda.