The people of Odisha are the Biju Janata Dal’s (BJD) high command party supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said at an election campaign meeting at Hemagiri in Sundargarh district on Wednesday.

Patnaik, indirectly targeting local BJP MP Jual Oram, said a person from the area is a Union Minister but he can never dare to discuss about the issues of the region with his party high command. “But for us (BJD), the people of Odisha are our high command,” said Patnaik.

The BJD chief also lambasted the BJP-led Union Government alleging that the Centre is conspiring to stop the KALIA scheme of the Odisha Government. “No one can stop the KALIA Yojana till I am alive,” Patnaik asserted.

He repeated his promise of providing the second instalment financial assistance of Rs 10,000 to farmers under the KALIA scheme on the first day of the formation of BJD Government if the party is voted back to power.

Criticising the Central leaders, Patnaik said they flock to Odisha only during election season. “They need to be asked what happened to the promise of a second bridge on Brahmani river and a Super Speciality Hospital in Rourkela. Why scholarships for SC and ST students were stopped?,” he asked.

Taking a jibe at the BJP’s ‘double engine’ mission (formation of BJP Governments both at the Centre and in Odisha), Patnaik reiterated his view that development of women is “the real double engine” of a State.

Terming the people of Odisha as his family and saying that he would serve them till his “last breath”, Patnaik urged the gathering to vote in favour of the BJD MP and MLA candidates.

Patnaik also held campaign rallies in the Rourkela and Raghunathpalli Assembly constituencies in the district.