Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, on Sunday promised special economic status to Odisha if her party was voted to power after the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Mayawati assured speedy development of several backward states.
"If our party forms the government at the federal level, backward states will not be discriminated. Your Odisha state will not be discriminated. We will provide impetus to development of Odisha by granting it special status," said Mayawati during a public rally in Bhubaneswar.
She also alleged that state government had ignored the plight of poor people.
"State government, irrespective of the party in power, has not paid attention to problems of poverty and unemployment to schedule castes, schedule tribes and poor people of upper castes," she added.