Naveen Patnaik: BJP talks more and does less

Naveen Patnaik

Dubbing the BJP as a party that "talks more and does less", Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Friday said the saffron party and the Congress were "responsible for the bankruptcy" of the national economy. "I will give you an example. The BJP and the Congress, how they bankrupt not only the national economy, but also the economy of the state," Patnaik told reporters while replying to a question on the Congress and BJP's demand of a farm loan waiver in Odisha.

Claiming that his "Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation" (KALIA) scheme was much more than the farm loan waiver of Congress governments in the three states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattishgarh, Patnaik said while a section of cultivators get benefit from farm loan waiver, Odisha's scheme will help 92 per cent of the farmers. Replying a question on the BJP's demand of farm loan waiver in the state, Patnaik said, "I think BJP talks more and does less.

In 2014, they (BJP) had promised us of Special Category State status to Odisha. We all know what happened to that." On the Congress's similar demand, Patnaik said, "The Congress demand will be a ridiculous reputation of their government (in Odisha) from 1995 to 1999. The treasury was bankrupt, salaries could not be paid and infrastructure suffered. It (farm loan waiver) hasnt paid in the past, it will not pay in the future."

Asked how his KALIA scheme would give proper price to farmers, the chief minister said he had been demanding to enhance the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of paddy "but the central government is not taking any step". Though the state government did not give any bonus on the sale of paddy by farmers, Patnaik said, "KALIA scheme is full of bonus."

On the steps taken by the state government on the implementation of the MS Swaminathan Committee recommendations for farmers welfare in the state, he said, "That (recommendation) is really some thing the central government should be dealing with first."

Immediately after the assembly results of the five states were announced, Patnaik had said, "The central government has done very little for the farmers as regards to MSP and implementation of the M S Swaminathan Committee recommendations."

Earlier in the day, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik at a press conference had sought to know whether the Odisha government implemented the recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee report in the state.

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