Naveen Patnaik: BJD will rule for 100 more years

By Swagatika Bhutia

Puri, Dec. 26: Not just 25 or 50 years, Odisha’s ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) would rule for 100 more years. This is what chief minister BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Monday said.

Addressing the party leaders and workers at Puri on the occasion of BJD’s 25th Foundation of Day, Mr Patnaik said his party had worked tirelessly to economic empowerment of women, farmers and all-around development of scheduled caste, scheduled tribe, backward communities and other weaker sections of the society.

“We have just completed 25 years ago. If our women folks who have always stood by us continue their support to us, I have no doubt that the BJD would rule the state for 100 more years,” the chief minister said.

Born in 1997 against the backdrop of continuous Central neglect to Odisha, the BJD came to power in the state in 2000 and has won five successive assembly elections under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik. The Opposition parties – the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress – have failed to put up any semblance of fights all these years, largely because of the fatal internecine fights among factional leaders to establish their one-upmanship with a dream to become chief minister.

Never ever the BJP and Congress have succeeded even to touch the 40 mark in the 147-member Odisha Legislative Assembly where 74 is the majority mark to form the government.

Countering the BJD Puri rally, the BJP leaders in Bhubaneswar and district headquarters observed Prativad Divas (protest day), condemning the state government’s “tacit support’ to tainted ministers and ‘shielding’ culprits involved in high profile murder cases.

“The state has slipped into utter lawlessness under the BJD regime. According to the latest National Crime Record Bureau report, Odisha tops the list of states having high incidence of atrocities against women. Ministers are involved in murder of political activists but no actions are being taken against them. This government should immediately go,” said Dillip Mohanty, a senior BJP leader.

The BJP urged the ruling BJD to convene a special session of the Odisha Legislative Assembly to discuss the law and order situation. Later, they submitted a memorandum to the Governor Professor Ganeshi Lal seeking his intervention to convene a special session of the Assembly.