BJP hits out at CM for failed promises

BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Tuesday hit out at the ruling BJD accusing it of failing on all fronts and pushing the state backward.Taking a jibe at Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for his claim of fulfilling all promises of the BJD made before 2014 elections, State BJP vice-president Samir Mohanty said the former has taken the people for a ride by not keeping a single promise. The 19 years rule of the BJD is marked by corruption, neglect of farmers and farm sector, growing unemployment and sluggish industrial growth, he said.

Dismissing the claim of the Chief Minister, Mohanty said the BJD had promised to irrigate 10 lakh hectare land in five years, but the Government has barely met less than half of the target. As of today, irrigation potential for at least 35 per cent of arable land in 198 out of 314 blocks have been created.

The condition of farmers remained miserable and many of them committed suicide due to crop failure and debt burden, he claimed adding though the BJD promised to provide cold storage in every block remains hollow as only 33 of the 108 cold storages in the State are functioning at present.

Though BJD had guaranteed in its 2014 election manifesto that all villages will get safe drinking water, 98 per cent houses in rural areas are deprived of piped water till date, he said adding, large number of people are forced to drink contaminated water from ponds, nullahs and canals.

Electric supply was promised to all houses, but 33 lakh families are still deprived of power supply. Though the State Government claimed to have constructed highest number of pucca houses under rural housing scheme, more than 30 lakh families are still living in kuchcha houses.

Against the BJD’s promise of providing patta to two lakh families living in urban slums, only 6,500 slum dwellers have been covered under the scheme.Stating that many BJD leaders are embroiled in chit fund scams, Mohanty came down heavily on the State Government for its failure to refund the deposit of small inverters, who have been duped to the tune of `20,000 crore which ruined around 30 lakh families.