Senior Congress leader Ajoy Kumar claimed on Sunday that by bringing “outsiders” into the state’s affairs, the opposition BJP and the ruling BJD were undermining Odisha’s sense of self.
He declared that “outsiders” were now more influential in the state’s politics, economy, and bureaucracy while the significance of Odias was steadily declining, raising the slogan “Odisha for Odias.”
“Outsiders have been granted work contracts worth Rs 35,000 crore by the government. Is there not a contractor in Odisha? It is a state-run by outsiders in politics. “Where have the state’s ministers, MPs, and MLAs vanished to?” he enquired.
Kumar, who is on a maiden visit after being appointed the Congress in charge of Odisha, alleged that people from outside the state have “captured” important jobs, mining contracts, and businesses, besides political posts.
“All of Odisha’s money goes to outsiders. That’s why Odisha has remained a poor state,” he said
“There is a need to uphold the Odia pride. Our concern is that politicians should run the political system and the Odias should run their state,” he added.
According to Kumar, the BJD collaborates with the BJP and will support its candidates in 15 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
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“Have you witnessed an ED or CBI raid in Odisha? The raids being carried out by the central agencies in different states have overlooked Odisha. Asserting that the Congress is the only option, he told reporters, “This demonstrates the close relationship between the BJD and the BJP.”
He cited Telangana as an example, saying, “In Telangana, we had consistently lost 15 by-elections. Congress remained our only option, so we persisted in our struggle and established the government.”
Kumar has been holding a series of meetings with state party leaders during the visit, and taking stock of the organisation ahead of the elections. Assembly polls usually coincide with Lok Sabha elections in the state.
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Rejecting the allegations, state BJP spokesperson Biranchi Tripathy said, “Before pointing fingers at others, the Congress needs to clarify the relation between its MP Dhiraj Sahu and the BJD. Sahu had illegally kept Rs 350 crore in cash in Odisha.”
The ruling BJD is yet to react to the allegations leveled by the Congress leader.
Source: PTI
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