BJD, BJP Lock Horns over Hiking MSP for Paddy in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: PM Narendra Modi on Monday, attended the Vijay Sankalp rally at Angul Nalco Stadium, where he raised concerns about the safety of the Jagannath temple and promised to make the inspection report of the key for Ratna Bhandar public if the BJP comes to power. The PM also assured Odia CM from BJP for the state, during the rally.

During the rally, he criticised the BJD government for corruption and the state’s continued poverty despite its rich resources forcing its mass population to leave the state to find work in other states. He announced the implementation of the Subhadra Yojana for women and also promised that the farmers would be given an MSP of 3,100 per quintal when the BJP government comes to power. 

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who was present at the rally, expressed confidence that the BJP would win to make a double-engine government. The rally was attended by many prominent BJP workers and candidates for various Lok Sabha and Assembly seats.

Meanwhile, addressing an election rally, BJD leader Karthik Pandian criticised PM Modi’s election promises. Answering three questions, the PM asked during campaign rallies, he said it would require a minute for the PM to increase the MSP price of grains still, he chose an election rally to do so after being in the centre for 10 long years. 

Responding to the PM’s first question about the speed of development, Pandian pointed out that the Cuttack-Sambalpur road repair work has been ongoing for 8 years and no progress has been made on the Coastal Highway or the Bhubaneswar Ring Road Center. In contrast, he highlighted that the Chief Minister has built a new Biju Expressway of 300 km in just 3 years. 

Answering the second question, Pandian reminded the PM’s praise for CM Naveen in Lok Sabha for transparency. He also mentioned that under the CM, Odisha’s mining revenue has increased 10 fold, from Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 50,000 crore. 

For the third question’s answer, he raised the issue of the MSP for farmers, which has been a point of contention for the past 10 years, leading to widespread agitation and even the death of many farmers. He criticized the PM for talking about increasing the MSP, just 10 days prior to the election.

Despite the challenges, Pandian asserted that no matter how hard the BJP tries, Naveen Babu’s engine will continue to run in Odisha. He stated that the people of Odisha will demand three gifts from the Prime Minister during the swearing-in ceremony of Naveen Patnaik: an increase in the MSP of paddy to Rs 3100, an increase in coal royalty, and special state status for Odisha.