BJP announces sops for poor after realising defeat: Patnaik

Known as a soft and suave kind of politician, BJD president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday came down heavily on the BJP dubbing it "anti-poor" and cautioning the saffron party that its "jumla" will not work in Odisha.

Patnaik said this at election meetings in Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts where polling to be held in third and fourth phase on April 23 and April 19 respectively.

"BJP government is anti-poor. It suddenly realised that poor people need to be given cheap rations only three days ago. The realisation came after the BJP understood that it is facing defeat in the first phase of polls in Odisha,"Patnaik claimed.

Senior BJP leader and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said the party, if voted to power in the state, will provide 5 kg of rice, half a kg of pulse and half a kg of salt at Re 1 to the poor people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a public meeting in Sambalpur in Odisha Tuesday also referred to this promise.

Seeking a reply from the BJP as to why it did not announce such provisions during the last five years, Patnaik said, "This Jumlawaji (propaganda) will not work in Odisha.

The BJP's announcement of sops for the poor during polls clearly exposed its intentions."

Patnaik also lambasted the BJP for putting the common people in trouble by implementing demonetisation and GST, raising the price of petrol, diesel and cooking gas.

"The poor people become poorer due to demonetisation while small traders suffered a lot due to GST," he said.

Patnaik said the BJD government is committed to the poor farmers and is providing financial support to them under the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme.

Accusing the BJP of conspiring to stop KALIA scheme, the chief minister said as soon as a new government is formed in the state, farmers will be given Rs 10,000 each at one go.

He also alleged that the BJP led central government has stopped scholarships of Scheduled Caste students and allowances of nearly 20 lakh BPL people in Odisha.