Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), May 9: During a BJP rally in Malkangiri, Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, took a jab at his Odisha counterpart, Naveen Patnaik, by highlighting their contrasting communication styles.
Sarma remarked that while Patnaik’s responses are often limited to “okay”, there are pressing issues in Odisha, such as villages still being identified by numbers, akin to prisoners in jail. Sarma expressed his intent to convert these villages into revenue villages once the BJP assumes power in Odisha.
Sarma also addressed the need to cater to the Bengali-speaking population in Malkangiri, stating that Bengali teachers will be deployed wherever there is a Bengali community in Odisha, in line with the new education policy.
Further, Sarma criticized the BJD government’s approach to welfare schemes, contrasting the cash voucher scheme for women in Odisha with the direct cash transfers in Assam and Chhattisgarh. He emphasized the BJP’s commitment to purchasing paddy from Odisha farmers at Rs 3,100 per quintal.
Highlighting the issue of unemployment in Odisha, Sarma pledged to provide jobs to 3 lakh youths based on merit if the BJP comes to power. He urged voters to support the BJP in both Assembly and Lok Sabha elections to enable a double-engine government, which, he claimed, would expedite the state’s development process.
