Known as a soft and suave kind of politician, BJD president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Wednesday came down heavily on the BJP dubbing it "anti-poor" and cautioning the saffron party that its "jumla" will not work in Odisha.
Patnaik said this at election meetings in Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts where polling to be held in third and fourth phase on April 23 and April 19 respectively.
"BJP government is anti-poor. It suddenly realised that poor people need to be given cheap rations only three days ago. The realisation came after the BJP understood that it is facing defeat in the first phase of polls in Odisha," Patnaik claimed.
Senior BJP leader and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said the party, if voted to power in the state, will provide 5 kg of rice, half a kg of pulse and half a kg of salt at Re 1 to the poor people.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a public meeting in Sambalpur in Odisha Tuesday also referred to this promise.
Seeking a reply from the BJP as to why it did not announce such provisions during the last five years, Patnaik said, "This Jumlawaji (propaganda) will not work in Odisha. The BJP's announcement of sops for the poor during polls clearly exposed its intentions."