State treasury is no minister’s paternal property : BJP

OST Bureau
Sambalpur, Nov 22:

Taking strong exception to the statement of senior BJD leader and Finance minister Prasanna Acharya who told voters in Bargarh that the release of funds for development work would depend on who they vote for, the state BJP has asked him to bear in mind that the state treasury is not his paternal property.

“ The statement of the Finance minister bears ample testimony to the blatant misuse of public money and power by the ruling BJD. Let Acharya wait till the Assembly elections next year. Neither he would remain the Finance minister, nor he will have the state treasury with him as the BJD would sink to the rock bottom along with its supremo Naveen Patnaik”, BJP general secretary and spokesman Suresh Pujari told reporters here.

The ruling party is using its muscle power and government machinery to cater to its vested interest, he alleged.

Replying to a question on the tacit understanding between the Congress and BJP for the Kuchinda civic body polls, Pujari made it clear that his party has no pre-poll understanding with any party.

“ On the other hand, the BJD had an understanding with the Maoist outfits during the last Assembly elections. The ruling party can go to any extent for the sake of clinging on to power. It can even rope in Lakshar-e-Taiba,” the BJP leader said ridiculing the ruling party.

Citing instances of the BJD’s modus operandi, Pujari said thousands of sarees that the state government had bought for distribution among the women in the cyclone and flood-hit areas of the coastal districts, are now being used as party sops in the western Odisha urban local body polls.

This apart, the BJD has spent huge amount of money to woo the western Odisha voters into its fold and distributed thousands of colour television sets. The volume of sale of these TV sets can be known if one verifies the company sales records in the month of October, he asserted.

“You will not find a single BJD MLA or minister in Bhubaneswar as they are now camping in Western Odisha to wrest power by hook or crook. Apart from roping in a number of Ollywood actors and actresses, the party has deployed goons for the civic body elections,” the BJP leader pointed out.