Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik Friday blamed BJP for delay in payment of crop insurance under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and said many farmers in Padampur have not received their insurance claims so far.
Addressing a public meeting. at poll-bound Padampur, Naveen said, “When the aggrieved farmers stopped the BJP candidate Pradip Purohit from filing the nomination paper for the by-poll, the NDA government released the funds within 48 hours.”
The BJD supremo went on to say that the saffron party was shedding “crocodile tears” for the poor by telling lies. Naveen asked BJP to stop misleading the people. He was addressing two election campaign meetings at Jharbandh and Paikmal blocks of Padampur assembly seat, where by-poll is slated to be held on December 5.
The meetings were his first in any by-poll since 2019. He had not hit the campaign trail in the previous four occasions. The CM began his speeches by uttering “Jai Nrusinghanath”, the presiding deity of the region, and offering tributes to eminent Odia poet Gangadhar Meher.
Naveen met representatives of the Meher and Kulta communities who thanked him for providing them land and funds for building a building in the name of poet Gangadhar Meher and a dharamshala respectively. He also met members of the Yadav and Teli communities and received about 50 petitions from the people about the various difficulties faced by them.
Lashing out at the BJP, Naveen accused its leaders of indulging in politics over issues of the poor like the PMAY. “Do you know the GST on gold? It is only three per cent, while the Centre unfortunately charges 18 per cent GST on kendu leaf trade. The BJP has been shedding crocodile tears for the poor, the kendu leaf pluckers, farmers and others,” Naveen said.
“I will fight for you from Palli (village) to Delhi,” the BJD supremo said adding that his party is resolved to fight for the rights of kendu leaf pluckers, farmers, tribals, women and the downtrodden in Padampur. Naveen promised speedy development of Padampur and cited the development works in neighbouring Bijepur assembly segment.
