Cuttack: On the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshow in Bhubaneswar a few days ago, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a roadshow in Cuttack on Wednesday.
The roadshow commenced at Gopabandhu Park and covered several important junctions in Cuttack, including Buxi Bazar, Tinikonia Bagicha, Dargha Bazar, Choudhry Bazar, Naya Sarak, Balu Bazar, Chandni Chouwk and Mohammadia Bazar before culminating at Chandi Mandir Chhak.
Standing on a saffron-coloured vehicle decorated with flowers, crossed the route holding an illuminated lotus (BJP’s election symbol), waved, and greeted thousands of people who gathered on both sides of the road.
BJP’s candidate for Cuttack Lok Sabha seat Bhartruhari Mahtab and Barabati-Cuttack MLA candidate Dr Purna Chandra Mohapatra accompanied Home Minister Amit Shah on the vehicle during the roadshow.
Earlier, speaking at a rally in Sorada in the Aska Parliamentary constituency in Ganjam district, HM Amit Shah said: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has honoured the entire state of Odisha by making an Adivasi daughter of the state President (Droupadi Murmu) of the country. PM Modi enhanced the popularity of Odisha across the globe by keeping an image of the Konark Surya Temple behind the platform where he was welcoming world leaders during the G20 conference. PM Modi also released coins and postal stamps in honour of the Paika rebellion.”
The Home Minister accused the BJD government of stopping the people of Odisha from participating in Ram Mandir-related celebrations in various ways.
He said that PM Modi has made the country secure by ending the menace of Left Wing Extremism and terrorism.
“PM Modi is supplying 5 kg rice to every family in the country. (Odisha Chief Minister) Naveen Patnaik only gives an empty bag and prints his photo on it. He later tells the poor that the rice has been given by him. Naveen ji should have given an extra 2.5 kg rice in addition to Rs 5 kg being supplied by PM Modi instead of the empty bag,” HM Shah said.
Raising the issue of Odia ‘Asmita’, Shah claimed that Odishacurrently the state is being run by outsiders and not the elected representatives of the people. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been working to boost Odisha’s reputation of Odisha worldwide, but the present government in the state was working to take the province back by 50 years.”
Talking about the BJP’s plans for Odisha if elected to form a government, the Union minister said, “If allowed to form the government in the state, we will implement ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ and the ‘Ayushman Bharat’ scheme here.”
Speaking in the same vein, Shah said that the BJP will work to make public the judicial commission report on the missing keys of Puri Jagannath temple’s Ratna Bhandar within six days of forming government in Odisha. “We will also punish those who robbed you in the form of chit funds. You gave 25 years to Naveen Babu, give us just five years and see the change,” Shah told the electorate.
