Bhubaneswar: In a scathing attack, BJD President and Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly Naveen Patnaik has expressed deep disappointment over the Union Budget 2024, alleging that the State has been “completely neglected” by the NDA government.
Patnaik pointed out that several key promises made to the people of Odisha during the election campaign, including support for agriculture, MSMEs, and industry, have been ignored in the budget.
The LoP also came down on the Centre for denying special category status to Odisha, despite being a promise of the BJP in the manifesto.
“BJP had put special category status in their manifesto as a promise to the people of Odisha , however, this promise has not been considered for Odisha, whereas special packages , allocating crores of funds have been announced for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar”, Patnaik said.
Furthermore, Patnaik criticized the centre for rejecting the demand for revision of coal royalty, resulting in significant revenue loss for the state
He also slammed the Centre for failing to address pressing issues like inflation, price rise, and unemployment and showing “impartiality” against Odisha in the Polavaram issue.
Patnaik alleged that Centre made empty promises of focus on Eastern India, including Odisha, without substantial action
However, the BJD president welcomed the focus on tourism in Odisha, but emphasized the need to wait for details to emerge.
