BJP already got 310 seats, will cross 400 in remaining two phases: Amit Shah

Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already crossed 310 seats mark in the ensuing Lok Sabha election after the completion of five phases of polling in different parts of the country and said the party would cross its target of 400 seats in the remaining two phases.

Addressing a public meeting in Odidha’s Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency, he also said that for the state, which is also facing the assembly elections simultaneously, the target is also to get over 75 Assembly seats and form the government.

“The current election is to make the country stronger, make Narendra Modi Prime Minister for the third time and make Odisha developed and restore Odia pride,” he said.

Targeting chief minister Naveen Patnaik and his Tamil Nadu-born close aide VK Pandian, Shah alleged that the CM is imposing the ‘Babushahi’ (Babu culture) in the state and that he has disrespected the Odia culture.

“Despite being a rich state with abundance of natural resources, Odisha is poor. Naveen Patnaik’s babus are working to loot the resources. Should a Tamil babu govern the land of Utkal? It is only the person who can speak in Odia, and take the traditions of Lord Jagannath forward can be entrusted with the job. After 25 years, a government is going to be formed on the basis of Odia language, culture and literature in Odisha,” said Shah.

“We want to make an Odisha where not a single youth will be forced to go to Maharashtra, Haryana or Bangalore for labour, leaving his wife and elderly parents here. He can get work in his home state. Odisha has a beautiful location, a long coastline, a huge store of mining resources and industrious youths, but the state only lacks a chief minister who can work hard. Elect the BJP to power in the state, we will make Odisha developed with a laborious and energetic young CM,” he said.

“The BJD has neglected the Western Odisha. The BJP is committed to all-round development of Odisha. 27 lakh families in the state do not have houses, 26 lakh households lack drinking water, schools are closed, and the state ranks 29 in ease of doing business. The Naveen Patnaik government is only hijacking central schemes and providing only empty bags while Modi ji is providing free rice,” alleged Shah.

Raising the issue of Ratna Bhandar of Puri’s Jagannath temple, Shah said no one is speaking about how many times the doors of Ratna Bhandar were opened and why the report of the judicial commission inquiring into the missing of keys is not being made public even after six years. “Once the BJP government is formed in Odisha, we will provide all details of the inventory of Ratna Bhandar after valuation by Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The Commission report will also be made public,” said Shah.

Responding to the jibes of Shah and Modi on the Ratna Bhandar issue, BJD leader VK Pandian told PTI that he would request PM Modi to come and witness the Ratna Bhandar opening after four decades.

“The Prime Minister should find out where it (keys of Jagannath Temple Ratna Bhandar) has gone, if he has so much knowledge, perhaps, I would humbly request the honourable PM, he has so many authorities under him… he would be having some knowledge, he can enlighten the people of Odisha. He’s making a political statement, so we will take it like that. In these four decades, the BJP ministers handled the issue for a decade when the saffron party was in power in the state in alliance with the BJD and perhaps, they should find from them where the keys are,” he told PTI.