Puri, February 3: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Sunday, launched a scathing attack on Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik during a rally in Puri ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP president during his rally said that the state should elect that person who can speak the local language. Shah further added that the state CM had not even implemented Ayushman Bharat Yojana in Odisha because he feared it would increase PM Narendra Modi’s popularity. He said, “Your Chief Minister has not implemented Ayushman Bharat Yojana in Odisha, he fears that it will increase Narendra Modi ji's popularity. If you want, you can remove our names from the scheme but why are you troubling the poor people of Odisha?” Amit Shah Midnapore Rally: Vehicles Outside Venue Vandalised, BJP Says TMC Behind Attack.

The BJP president expressed confidence of winning the Lok Sabha elections. Taking a dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Shah said that when everybody was praising the interim Budget, but Gandhi was sitting dispirited. Later in the day, the visited Jagannath temple in Puri and offered prayers. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also accompanied Shah.  Gandhi Family Shares Deep Friendship With Agusta Middleman Christian Michel: Amit Shah.

Last Month, PM Modi in a development push ahead of Lok Sabha elections launched a slew of projects worth over Rs 1,550 crore for Odisha. He dedicated to the nation electrification of Jharsuguda- Vizianagaram and Sambalpur-Angul lines spanning 813 km completed at the cost of Rs 1,085 crore.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 03, 2019 07:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).