May 11th 2024.
On Saturday, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh made some strong statements about the current political situation in Odisha. According to him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik are like two peas in a pod, despite belonging to different parties. Ramesh accused the BJP and the BJD of secretly working together and supporting each other's agendas.
Prime Minister Modi is currently on a two-day campaign tour in Odisha, where he will be addressing three rallies. The state is preparing for both Lok Sabha and assembly elections at the same time. Ramesh criticized the BJP and BJD for their close alliance, stating that the BJD has helped the Modi government on several occasions in Parliament.
He pointed out that the recent seat-sharing talks between the two parties only confirmed what was already known. Despite being in opposition officially, the BJD and BJP have been secretly collaborating with each other. Ramesh also highlighted the fact that the BJD has supported BJP's Rajya Sabha candidate Ashwini Vaishnav, even though he did not have enough BJP MLA voters to get elected.
In return, Ramesh claimed that the BJP has spared the BJD from facing any bullying or intimidation, which is often faced by opposition-ruled states. He questioned the true nature of the relationship between the two parties and demanded an apology from the Prime Minister for misleading the people of Odisha.
Ramesh also brought up the tragic Balasore train accident that took place in 2023, where 293 people lost their lives and over 1,000 were injured. He accused the government of not taking any corrective measures after the incident and highlighted the high number of staff vacancies in the railways, including critical safety positions. He mentioned the Congress' promise to fill vacancies in 30 lakh government jobs if elected.
The Congress leader also accused the BJP of diluting the forest rights of tribal communities. He stated that the Forest Rights Act, passed by the UPA government in 2006, was undermined by the Forest Conservation Amendment Act introduced by the Modi government last year. Ramesh claimed that this move was to benefit the Prime Minister's corporate friends and ignored the consent of local communities and other statutory requirements for forest clearance.
As the current situation in Odisha continues to raise questions, Ramesh urged the Prime Minister to clarify the true nature of the BJP-BJD alliance and take responsibility for the neglect of crucial issues like the Balasore train accident and tribal rights.
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