Raman Singh

Bhubaneswar, April 7: Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh today criticised his Odisha counterpart, Naveen Patnaik, for his failure to develop the state in his 14-year rule.

“All the government-run industries have been closed down in Bargarh. The employment rate is disappointing in the whole region,” said Singh while addressing an election meeting in Bargarh in west Odisha, which is closer to Chhattisgarh.

“The poor have become poorer and the farmers are in a pitiable condition during the tenure of Naveen Patnaik,” he said.

Informing that his government had been paying Rs 300 as bonus over and above the minimum support price, Singh asked why Odisha could give only Rs 100.

Narrating about the development of his state, he said farmers in Chhattisgarh were being provided with free electricity and loan free of interest.

“Raigarh and Mahasamund districts of Chhattisgarh adjoining Bargarh district have flourished. But, Bargarh has not developed,” said the Chhattisgarh chief minister.

In a bid to strike an emotional chord with the state, Singh said: “Whenever I visit Odisha, I feel as if I am in Chhattisgarh. The same Mahanadi river and the fertile lands here make him feel so. However, despite the water resource and fertile land, the area continues to remain backward.”

Criticising the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, Singh said: “It is a government of scams. People are tired of listening to the same speech of Manmohan Singh. People turn off the television at his appearance.”

“In 2009, the UPA had promised to check price rise in 100 days. Did that happen?” he asked.

On the other hand, BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu today campaigned in the tribal-dominated undivided Koraput district. While interacting with reporters in Bhubaneswar, Naidu ruled out any possibility of a post-poll alliance with other parties. “There is no question of having a post-poll alliance. The NDA will win 300 seats, and the BJP will win 250 seats on its own,” he said.

He said there was no negotiation with the BJD for any alliance.

The BJP leader said the regional parties could not be an alternative at the Centre and a Third Front experiment, earlier tried and failed, is a “mirage”.