Naveen's anti-Centre stand a cover up for inefficiency: JB

Bhubaneswar, May 29 (UNI) Leader of Opposition in Orissa Assembly and Congress leader J B Pattnaik today charged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik with "waging war" on the Centre to cover up his "corruption and inefficiency." Reacting to the chief minister's open call to revolt against the Centre at a workers' meeting in Berhampur recently, Mr Pattnaik alleged the move was aimed at the next Assembly elections in the state.

He alleged that some senior BJD leaders had called for economic blockade against the Centre adding that such a stand would cost the state as the Constitution has provisions to suppress revolts in the state.

Mr Pattnaik alleged the government had been trying to mislead the people by raising slogans against the "apathetic" and "step-motherly" attitude of the Centre towards the state.

"The state government has not even been able to spend the Central funds earmarked for various schemes and crores of rupees remained unutilised due to the inefficiency of the government," the Leader of Opposition said.

The former chief minister said the government had virtually called for a revolt against the "central negligence" by announcing a Rs 1000 crore Biju Gramya Jyoti Yojana to provide electrification to 10,000 villages in the state during the next five years.

The government had announced this knowing full well that the Centre was committed to provide electricity to 10,000 villages and had already sanctioned Rs 62 crore last year. Besides, budgetary provision had been made for three more districts this year, he added.

Mr Pattnaik said the implementation of rural electrification in the state was very dismal as nearly 9953 villages were yet to be electrified, despite tall claims to complete the electrification in all villages by 2007.

MORE UNI