Bhubaneswar, 9 November (H.S.):On the last day of campaigning for the Nuapada by-election, Odisha BJP President Manmohan Samal launched a scathing attack on the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD), accusing it of engaging in “cheap politics” and avoiding discussions on real developmental issues.
Addressing a press conference in Nuapada on Sunday, Samal alleged that the BJD is contesting the Nuapada bypoll with “hollow promises and emotional rhetoric” instead of presenting a vision for progress.
Taking a direct jibe at BJD supremo and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik, the BJP chief questioned who the “real traitor” is, recalling that when former Nuapada MLA Rajendra Dholakia was seriously ill, his family made repeated attempts to contact Patnaik, but received no response.
“They (BJD leaders) should remember what happened on March 7, 2009, before calling others traitors. When Rajendra Dholakia’s wife and son tried to contact Naveen Patnaik, he neither answered their calls nor called them back,” Samal alleged.
Condemning the use of terms like “traitor” and “vote theft” in political discourse, Samal urged the BJD to maintain decency in public statements. “Now, the BJD is visiting Nuapada only for political mileage,” he remarked.
The BJP state president further asserted that while his party has consistently focused on development and governance, the BJD must answer what it has delivered in Nuapada during its 24 years in power.
Highlighting the achievements of the BJP-led government at the Centre and in states governed by the party, Samal said, “People have witnessed what the BJP can achieve in just 500 days — imagine what we could do with a full mandate in Odisha.”
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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda
