The Congress party general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad has slammed the Naveen Patnaik led Orissa government for its failure to utilise the funds given by the Congress led UPA government at the Centre for the development of the state.
Addressing media persons here, Azad said, “In its five years rule, the Congress led UPA government at the Centre provided Rs 58,494 crore to Orissa, which is about 73 per cent higher than Rs 33,844 crore released by the erstwhile BJP led NDA government for the state during their six-year rule. Unfortunately, large amounts of the UPA funds did not reach the people of Orissa as the Naveen Patnaik led state government failed to use these funds effectively.”
He pointed out that the Orissa government failed to utilise Rs 436 crore from 2005-06 to 2008-09 provided by the Centre under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).
In the education sector too, under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA), the Orissa government failed to utilise the funds provided by the UPA government and the total unspent amount in the state under SSA from 2005-06 to 2008-09 stood at Rs 280 crore, said Azad.
He alleged that the Naveen Patnaik government diverted the central funds to corrupt activities. Commenting on the snapping of the 11-year alliance between BJD and BJP, he said that it was too late for the BJD to term the BJP as untouchable. “The BJD leadership missed the opportunity of severing ties with the BJP at the time of outbreak of communal riots in Kandhamal. The BJD could have proved its secular credentials at that time by deserting the BJP”, he added.
Azad further said that the BJD’s decision to associate itself with the BJP was one of its greatest blunders as the BJD is named after Biju Patnaik who was one of the respected secular leaders in the country.
Asked if there was a possibility of the BJD joining the UPA coalition at the centre after the polls, he said, “The UPA will try on its own to win at least 280 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Ultimately, the next government at the centre would be formed by the UPA as the tally of the Congress led UPA would go up while the tally of the BJP led NDA is set to go down in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.”
The senior Congress leader parried a query on the denial of ticket to JB Patnaik by the Congress party and said that Patnaik would be pleased to make way for younger leaders.
He said that the Congress had not projected any Chief Ministerial candidate for Orissa but hinted that that the party would consider a new face for the post of the Chief Minister if it is voted to power in the state.
Azad also welcomed Kashmir’s separatist leader Sajjad Lone’s decision to contest the Parliamentary elections and felt that it would be a victory of democracy if leaders like Lone shunned the path of violence and joined the democratic process.
