Bhubaneswar: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union home minister Amit Shah will visit Odisha on April 25 to canvas for his party’s Lok Sabha and assembly candidates. He will address a public rally in Sonepur in Western Odisha, informed Odisha state BJP vice president Golak Mohapatra on Saturday.
The home minister’s proposed visit assumes much significance as it comes following the collapse of a tie-up talk between Odisha’s ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the BJP. The saffron party’s cadres and workers expect that Shah would make a categorical statement on their party’s Odisha mission and roll out strategies on how to defeat the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD that has been ruling the state since 2000.
Though the Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the state twice in the recent past and addressed two separate rallies at Sambalpur and Chandikhole in Jajpur district, he made no mention about the BJP’s Odisha mission.
In 2019, the BJP which had won 8 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats, had set a target to bag at least 120 of the 147 assembly seats. However, the party could win only 23 assembly seats.
After addressing the rally, Shah will hold a key meeting with BJP leaders and workers at the party office in Bhubaneswar and discuss the electoral strategies. Besides, the BJP stalwart will review the poll preparedness and activities of the party in the state.
“The Union home minister will blow the poll bugle from Sonepur. The BJP has started its fight for Odisha Asmita (pride), Maa (women), Mati (soil) and Matrubhoomi (motherland) and on the issues of distress migration of Odia youths to other states in search of work.”
Mohapatra alleged that Odia people had been neglected and deceived in the rule by non-Odias while the wealth of Odisha was being carried away to other states.
“Odia youths are migrating to other states in search of jobs. In such a situation, the visit of Amit Shah assumes much importance. Shah will address the people of Odisha from Sonepur in the afternoon,” the BJP VP added.
Training his gun at the BJD, Mohapatra alleged that programmes and schemes of the Central government do not reach the eligible people and the BJD is hijacking the Central schemes for its credit.
He asserted that a massive rally will be held in Sonepur where more than one lakh people will congregate.
“Since the BJD has become weak, the BJP will come to power after the upcoming election. This meeting will set a milestone for the BJP's electoral goal. His stay for one and a half days will be inspiring for all BJP leaders and workers in Odisha,” he observed.
There was, however, no reaction from the BJD side.
