Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged the people of Odisha to vote for BJP for a Viksit Bharat and a Viksit Odisha.
Speaking at a rally in Kandhamal, PM Modi said: “Your one vote will bring a double-engine government in Odisha for the first time. Every single vote of yours is required for a Viksit Bharat and a Viksit Odisha. For this, you will have to elect all the 21 BJP candidates for Lok Sabha and elect BJP’s candidates for Assembly seats.”
Urging voters to oust Naveen Patnaik-led government, Modi said that Odisha will become No 1 once BJP came to power for five years.
“I came here to give an invitation for the oath-taking ceremony of a BJP chief minister on June 10 in Bhubaneswar,” PM Modi said, while stressing the party’s emphasis on making a son/daughter of Odisha dedicated to Odia language and culture the chief minister.
Targeting Odisha government on Ratna Bhandar issue, Modi said that there was provision to maintain the records of movable and immovable property, and precious treasure of Lord Jagannath in Ratna Bhandar. But, Ratna Bhandar has not been opened.
“All the ornaments and precious stones were so large in quantity that evaluators could not complete the estimation. Officially, the Ratna Bhandar has not been opened for the last 40 years,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi said during his address at Kandhamal that the keys of Ratna Bhandar have been missing for the last six years.
“The devotees of Lord Jagannath and the people of Odisha have the right to know what happened to the keys,” he said.
PM Modi further said that Odisha has plenty of resources while Gujarat has only salt.
“However, Gujarat is way ahead of Odisha in terms of economic development. Odisha is one of the richest states in India, but the people are struggling with poverty. Why are the people of such a rich state poor? You have lost 50 years, but it’s time now to save Odisha, its self-identity, and the future of the children of Odisha,” PM Modi said during his speech in Bolangir.
PM Modi, on a marathon election campaign in Odisha, addressed three massive public gatherings on Saturday in Kandhamal, Bolangir, and Bargarh Parliamentary constituencies.
The polling for Lok Sabha as well as Odisha Assembly will be held simultaneously in four phases in the state from May 13 to June 1.
Odisha has 21 Lok Sabha seats while the Assembly has 147 seats.
The results will be announced on June 4.
