Bijepur residents my family, its devp my responsibility: Odisha CM

Bargarh: Striking a chord with locals, Odisha Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik during his election campaigning today said that the people of Bijepur in Bargarh district are his family and the development of the constituency is his responsibility.

Addressing a public meeting organised by the party at Bijepur, Patnaik, who is also contesting the Assembly polls from the very constituency, said, “I had come to Bijepur during the bypoll. People of the area had requested me to contest the elections from Bijepur and later I decided to do so.”

The BJD chief also lambasted the BJP-led Central Government alleging that the Centre is conspiring to stop the KALIA scheme of the Odisha Government. “No one can stop the KALIA yojana till I am alive,” Naveen asserted.

Targeting BJP leaders Dharmendra Pradhan and Jual Oram without taking their names, Patnaik said two Union Ministers hailing from Odisha are not striving at the Centre for the development of the state. They only flock Odisha during election season for campaigning, he said.

Patnaik also promised of providing the second instalment financial assistance of Rs 10,000 to farmers under the KALIA scheme on the first day of the formation of BJD government, if the party is voted to power in the polls.

Terming the people of Odisha as his family and saying that he will serve them till his last breath, Patnaik urged the gathering to vote in favour of MP and MLA candidates of the BJD in the polls.