Naveen Patnaik government remote-controlled by PM Modi: Rahul Gandhi in Odisha

ROURKELA/BHAWANIPATNA: Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday promised a slew of measures primarily targeting farmers, tribals and poor during the Praivartan Sankal Samavesh at Rourkela as well as Bhawanipatna.

If voted to power in Odisha, the Congress Government would bring a tribal bill to ensure natural rights of tribal people over Jal, Jungle, Zamin (water, forest, land) and also implement the PESA Act, he said.

He said the new land acquisition bill would ensure mandatory consent of farmers in land acquisition with a four-time price. If a company fails to set up an industrial project in five years, the acquired land would be returned to farmers.

The Congress boss also reiterated the promises of loan waiver, hiked MSP of paddy to Rs.2,600 per quintal and establishment of food processing plants and cold storages in all districts of Odisha under the Second Harit Kranti which also envisages web of food processing plants in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, while work on it has started in Chhattisgarh.

Gandhi said the writing on the wall for both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is clear and added that all poor families of the country would be covered under Minimum Income Guarantee scheme.

With Congress supporters waving a replica of Rafale fighter jet Gandhi started his address with the Chowkidar Hi Chor Hain jibe and added Naveen is remotely controlled by Modi who runs the BJD government from Delhi. Through remote control, Modi passes all Bills using the BJD Chief who and several BJD leaders are involved in Chit Fund scam.

Accusing the Modi government of handing over Rs.3.5 lakh crore to 15 corporate houses, Gandhi asserted that so long as the Modi government favours his rich friends, he would continue to press for loan waivers for poor farmers. Both Modi and Naveen have failed in their promises of jobs, adding in Odisha youths have to dole out a heavy amount for education, but there is no job in the State except for bonded labours.

Gandhi, however, goofed up twice. To portray poor health system in Odisha, he claimed Dana Majhi carried the body of his wife for 10 days. Secondly, to criticise BJP he said, the Modi government did not fulfil its promise to renovate the Brahmani bridge. He further said the BJP government did not want to place a fund for an upgradation of the Ispat General Hospital into Super Speciality Hospital, adding the Congress collected and donated Rs 20 lakh for it.

Among others AICC Observer Jitendra Singh, OPCC President Niranjan Patnaik, Congress Leader of Opposition in Odisha Narsingha Mishra, former Congress Chief Minister Hemanand Biswal, AICC Secretary Sk Mastan Vali, MLAs, Prafulla Majhi and George Tirkey, former OPCC Presidents Jaydev Jena and Prasad Harichand were present.