SAMBALPUR: Bargarh MP and national secretary of BJP Suresh Pujari accused Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik of playing with the sentiments of people of Western Odisha by vacating the Bijepur Assembly seat. Addressing media persons here on Monday, Pujari said Naveen claimed that the people of Western Odisha had requested him to contest from their region. “Subsequently, he contested from Hinjili and Bijepur Assembly constituencies.
But he had not declared that he would vacate Bijepur and retain Hinjili after winning from both the seats. After declaration of result of 2019 polls, people were hoping that the regional disparity would reduce as they had elected Naveen from this region. However, Naveen betrayed the people of Western Odisha by vacating the Bijepur Assembly seat,” Pujari said.
Purjari further said before the by-election to Bijepur Assembly segment on February 24 last year, which was necessitated following the death of the Congress MLA from the constituency Subal Sahu, Naveen had announced several packages for the region. “However, work on not even a single project had begun till the announcement of schedule of 2019 polls,” he said.
The saffron party leader said before vacating the Bijepur Assembly seat, Naveen also announced several packages for the constituency. “Naveen is taking advantage of the simplicity of the people of Western Odisha,” he added. The Chief Minister on Sunday resigned from the Bijepur Assembly segment, which comes under the Bargarh Parliamentary Constituency. He had won the seat in the recently concluded polls.