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Congress, BJP blamed for poverty in State

BHUBANESWAR: State unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here on Sunday squarely blamed Congress and Biju Janata Dal for further fall of Orissa in poverty standards.

“Every politician in the State should introspect what has gone wrong for which Orissa is poorer by days,” said State BJP President Suresh Pujari who would be replaced by new chief by Wednesday next.

Addressing a press conference, Mr. Pujari said a Planning Commission committee had put State’s poverty ratio at alarming 57 per cent while in rural pockets the ratio could well cross 80 per cent.

“It is a matter of great shame. Congress under leadership of J.B. Patnaik has ruled the State for 15 years and present government has already a tenure of nine long years. Under these circumstances, they must own responsibility for poverty becoming acute in the State,” he said.

Mr. Pujari said death of five persons in a family in Khaprakhol block of Bolangir district due to malnutrition further made the matter worse.

“All intellectual and concerned citizens are shocked by the incident which exhibited mirror image of poverty prevailing in Somalia and Ethiopia.”

The outgoing State BJP president said attempts were being made to elect new chief unanimously and if it did not happen then election would held on Wednesday next. “I assure that I would extend my full cooperation to the new president,” Mr. Pujari told.

After elections the party was in a better position to carry the message of misrule by Naveen Patnaik government in wake of huge mining scam, malnutrition deaths and spate in farmers’ suicide to general public, he said

When asked why BJP did not do enough while being an alliance partner in Naveen Patnaik government, Mr. Pujari said, “we were never consulted in important matters. We were as good as a non-playing players in the team.”

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