BJP President Amit Shah has asked Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to quit for not been able to develop the state despite completing 18 years in office. Mr Shah was addressing a micro-management group - Shakti Kendra- comprising BJP functionaries from gram panchayats in Bhubaneswar yesterday. He said the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre has so far given four lakh crore rupees, including 2.11 lakh crore rupees grant, to Odisha but the BJD regime failed to utilise it.

Stating that the central government has taken up many initiatives to develop Odisha, the BJP chief said the objectives are yet to be fulfilled as the state has failed to implement different programmes and projects in a proper manner.

With less than a year to go for the Odisha Assembly polls and the general elections, Mr Shah is in Bhubaneswar to chalk out a master plan to achieve BJP's target of securing over 120 of the 147 Assembly seats in the 2019 polls.