Amit Shah promises to make panel report on Ratna Bhandar public in a month if BJP comes to power in Odisha

Rourkela: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday assured that the report of the judicial commission set up to probe the missing keys of Ratna Bhandar (treasury) of Jagannath Temple in Puri will be made public within one month if BJP is elected to power in Odisha.

Addressing a massive public meeting in Rourkela as part of BJP’s campaign for its candidates in the state, Shah questioned the government why it had remained silent on the queries of millions of devotees about the missing keys of the Ratna Bhandar for several years.

Stating that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik should answer where are the original keys of Ratna Bhandar, the senior BJP leader wanted to know who made duplicate keys and whether those were used to open the treasure trove.

“If the BJP is elected to power, it would make the Commission’s report public within a month. Besides, it would open all four gates of Jagannath Temple for smooth entry of the devotees and promote Jagannath culture worldwide,” he said.

Claiming that the BJD government had undermined the rich language and culture of Odisha and was not giving its due importance, Shah questioned whether the people of the state wanted to see an Odia or a Tamil person sitting on the seat of power.

Prime Minister’s concern for Odisha can be understood from the fact that due to his efforts, Droupadi Murmu became the President of India. Similarly, he accorded international recognition to the Sun temple of Konark by making it the backdrop of G20 Summit.

The Union Minister said precious 25 years were lost for Odisha as the BJD failed in all fronts to ensure its development. Citing the example of the progress made by BJP ruled states like Gujarat, he said Odisha people are not even provided rice, water and houses as the state government has failed to implement the Central schemes sincerely.

Stating that the western Odisha has remained neglected due to negligence by the government, Shah said, “Today, 27 lakh families do not have pucca houses, 26 lakh houses do not have piped drinking water supply and 6,412 villages lack proper roads.” He also reiterated his party’s commitment to increase the procurement price of paddy to Rs 3100, if voted to power.

He further said the Centre is sending 5 kg of ration for every person but Naveen Babu is distributing it in a bag with his own image. “Instead of providing bags, Naveen Babu should have added 2 kg more rice for the benefit of the people,” he added.

Shah said though the Centre was making all efforts for bringing the tribals to mainstream of society through various schemes and plans, the BJD government was pushing them further back by its poor governance and lack of foresight.

“On the other hand, the government had remained silent while the tribal land was looted by outsiders. Due to the rule of the bureaucrats, the tribals are losing their land. On the other hand, the BJP government at the Centre is concerned about the tribals and has increased the budget for welfare schemes for the tribals by including Ekalavya schools, tribal museums and others,” he added.

Targeting the opposition parties for raising doubts about third terms of Modi as prime minister, Shah said the BJP has already bagged 270 seats and it will easily sail across the target of “400 Par” with the support from its allies.

“Odisha is set for a change in the government. The BJP will not only win over 15 Lok Sabha but also bag 75 Assembly seats. There is no doubt that Narendra Modi will become the Prime Minister for the third time and Odisha will oust BJD government in 2024 election,” he said.