Amit Shah to visit Odisha Friday

BJP national president Amit Shah will visit Sambalpur in Odisha on Friday to hold a party meeting, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said here. Shah's visit will further strengthen the organisation and bolster the BJP's prospects in the coming Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections in Western Odisha, Pradhan said Thursday.

Sambalpur is in the heart of Western Odisha, a traditional BJP bastion. The BJP chief is slated to address booth level workers of four Lok Sabha constituencies -- Sambalpur, Bargarh, Sundergarh and Dhenkanal on Friday.

The petroleum minister inaugurated a slew of developmental projects at Sambalpur railway station before holding parleys with party leaders ahead of Shah's visit. Pradhan said the country cannot progress without development of the eastern region and the eastern region cannot develop without progress of Odisha, especially its Western region.

Attacking the BJD government in the state, Pradhan said its role over the demand for establishment of a permanent bench of Orissa High Court in Western Odisha was deplorable. With the demand becoming an emotive issue for the people in this region, Pradhan said the BJP is in favour of establishment of a high court bench in this region.

Instead of submitting a comprehensive proposal including the name of the place where the bench would be located, the state government is indulging in blame game, he claimed. Establishment of the high court bench is getting delayed because of the evasive approach adopted by the BJD government, the BJP leader alleged.

He inaugurated several facilities, structures and beautification projects in Sambalpur railway station building and surrounding areas which have been completed at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore, an official said..

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)