Bhubaneswar, Dec. 13: The Opposition Congress and ruling BJD today blamed each other for the growing regional imbalance in Odisha.

The Congress members attributed the lack of proper planning and failure to spend central funds to the growing gap, while the treasury bench members alleged that the UPA government at the Centre was not providing adequate funds for the development of the backward state.

Admitting that all regions in Odisha had not shared the gains of development in an equitable manner, the state’s planning and coordination minister Maheswar Mohanty said removal of regional disparities had been one of the important developmental strategies adopted by the state government.

Stating that the state government had been persuading the Centre to liberally fund special area development programmes of the state, especially for the backward Koraput-Balangir-Kalahandi region, the minister alleged that the Union government “was yet to adequately respond to our requests”.

Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh said the BJD government, which has been ruling the state for past 12 years, was trying to shift the blame on the Centre to cover up its “failures” to reduce the regional imbalance.

“As per the government’s own admission, southern Odisha is one of the poorest regions in the state, which is represented by chief minister Naveen Patnaik himself,” he pointed out.

“It’s not funds, but what is needed to reduce the regional imbalance is a strong will which the state government lacks,” said Singh, alleging that the latter had failed to utilise the central funds released under several developmental and welfare schemes.

The Opposition members sought to know how much central funds had been received by the state and how much had been used. As the minister failed to give a satisfactory answer, the Congress members staged a walkout.

Congress member Prafulla Majhi alleged the BJD government had failed to reduce the regional divide. “It is sitting over the report of regional imbalance commission, headed by Justice S.K. Mohanty,” he said. His party colleague Bhujabal Majhi alleged that the backward southern districts had been neglected by the BJD government and demanded constitution of a development council for the undivided Koraput district.

Planning minister Mohanty accused the Congress of politicising the issue keeping its vote bank in view. He claimed that the state government had achieved success in reducing poverty and regional imbalances during the last decade by bringing about faster economic development.