Union Minister and senior BJP leader Jual Oram today dubbed Congress as a party of "corrupt and self centric" leaders and hit out at ruling BJD in Odisha accusing it of being "neck-deep in corruption" and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik of "functioning like a monarch."
"The Congress party has lost its glory as many of its leaders are self centric and corrupt," he said addressing a series of public meetings to campaign for BJP in the October 15 by-election to Kandhamal Lok Sabha seat.
He said Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi have "failed" to upkeep the unity in the party.
Mounting a scathing attack on Naveen Patnaik government in Odisha, Oram said Patnaik was running the party and the government like a "monarch."
"BJD is a party having no leader. It is bereft of democracy. Naveen does not speak Odia as also his candidate for Kandhamal Parliamentary constituency Pratikshya Rajeswari Singh", the BJP leader claimed.
Pratikshya is a member of Nepalese royal family married to former BJD MP of Kandhamal Hemendra Kumar Singh, who passed away recently necessitating the by-election.
Alleging that the BJD government was "neck deep in corruption" including chitfund, mining and land scams, Oram said Odisha ministers camping in Kandhamal for the past fortnight were "involved in the scams.
