Naveen Patnaik responsible for Odisha's poverty: BJP chief Amit Shah in Puri

Image Courtesy: @AmitShah

PURI: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is responsible for poverty in Odisha, said BJP chief Amit Shah at a BJP rally in Puri on Monday.

“Modi ji launched the Ayushman scheme in the country but the government of Odisha is not implementing this scheme in the state,” said the BJP chief.

“In the last 3 years, goons of state government have killed our 14 workers in Odisha.

“Instead of emerging on top for development, Odisha is leading for in misbehaviour against women. The Biju Janata Dal's government is no longer following the principles of Biju Patnaik ji,” he added.

Taking a swipe at the entire Opposition, Shah said, “Narendra Modi government is working for 'Make in India'. Whereas the whole opposition, including the Congress, has been 'breaking India'.” 

Shah is currently in Odisha for a daylong tour to fine-tune the party's strategies for next year's state assembly and Lok Sabha polls.

His visit comes two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the state where he slammed Patnaik for saying no to the Centre's flagship Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme and alleged corruption in the state government.

Earlier on Sunday, the BJP president had slammed the Naveen Patnaik-led government on Twitter for rejecting the Centre's flagship health scheme - PMJAY-Ayushman Bharat.

He had alleged that CM Patnaik has deprived the people of the state of the benefits of the health scheme owing to his "animosity towards the BJP".

"The poor people of Odisha are unable to benefit from the scheme because of BJD's narrow mindset. You will have to answer the people for petty politics. The BJP workers will undertake door-to-door campaign to make people aware of your anti-poor politics and their rights," he had tweeted.

Shah is later scheduled to attend a women's wing meeting at the seaside town of Puri.

During his last visit to the state on July 1, Shah had advised BJP workers to strengthen the party base at the grassroots level.

With agency inputs