Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday physically campaigned for Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidate Barsha Singh Bariha in Padampur ahead of the December 5 assembly bypoll, marking his first trail appearance for any by-election since 2019.
Ever since his party swept the 2019 assembly elections, by winning 112 out of 147 seats, Patnaik has campaigned physically just once – in October that year, he visited the Bijepur assembly constituency to campaign for party candidate Rita Sahu in the bypoll. For the remaining polls, he addressed voters virtually instead of visiting the constituencies in view of Covid-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021.
On Friday, the 76-year-old travelled to Padampur on a helicopter in the morning and subsequently addressed two election campaign meetings at Jharbandh and Paikmal blocks.
Bypoll in the seat was necessitated following the death of former state minister Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha last month.
At the public meetings, the BJD chief began his speeches by uttering “Jai Nrusinghanath”, the presiding deity of the region, and offering tributes to eminent Odia poet Gangadhar Meher.
He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of interfering with the implementation of welfare schemes for the poor. He also hit out at the BJP for shedding “crocodile tears” for the poor and asked it to stop misleading the people.
{{/usCountry}}He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of interfering with the implementation of welfare schemes for the poor. He also hit out at the BJP for shedding “crocodile tears” for the poor and asked it to stop misleading the people.
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“Though the state government secured a prize from the central government for completing five lakh houses under Prime Minister Awas Yojana (Gramin) per year, the BJP MPs with political motives exerted pressure and stopped the scheme. This deprived 1,000,000 people of houses,” he said.
The BJD is determined to fight for the rights of kendu leaf pluckers,farmers, tribals, women and the downtrodden in Padampur, which has a large tribal population, he added.
Kendu leaf plucking is a major economic activity for the landless and the poorest of the poor in Padampur which falls in the western district of Bargarh.
Accusing the BJP-led government at the Centre for imposing high GST rates on trade in kendu leaf, Patnaik said: “Do you know the GST on gold? It is only three per cent, while the Centre unfortunately charges 18% GST on kendu leaf trade. The BJP has been shedding crocodile tears for the poor, the kendu leaf pluckers, farmers and others.”
The BJP, in return, accused the state government of misleading the people.
The state government imposes 9% GST on kendu leaves, BJP leader Lekhashree Samantsinghar said. “Of the 18% GST on the item, the state should withdraw the 9%. Let the chief minister walk his talk,” Samantsinghar said.