Padampur Bypoll: Ashwini Vaishnaw Challenges Odisha Government

Bargarh: Campaigning heated up in Odisha's Padampur Assembly constituency on Sunday, with two Union Ministers - Ashwini Vaishnaw and Narendra Singh Tomar - mounting the podium during a public meeting in Paikamal.

The Railway Minister, as expected, raised the Bargarh-Nuapada new rail line via Padampur, which has become a flashpoint ahead of the December 5 bypoll, and threw an open challenge to the state's Naveen Patnaik-led government, which had accused the Centre of ignoring the people's demand for improved connectivity there.

"This is my open challenge to the government of Odisha." "Give us land tomorrow, and we'll start working on the line the next day," he stated while campaigning for BJP candidate Pradip Purohit.

He stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is devoted to the state's growth. "Odisha received Rs 5 crore under the Congress rule for upgrading railway connectivity and infrastructure in the state." "In the Union Budget 2022-23, PM Modi ensured a significant increase in the budget, and the state earned the largest ever allocation of Rs 10,000 crore," he said.

The Railway Minister stated that the state must support the Centre's efforts. "The Centre will put pressure on the government to give land for the new Bargarh-Nuapada train route via Padampur, and the project will proceed accordingly," he added.

Vaishnaw, who also holds the portfolio of Communications, Electronics, and Information Technology, added that the Centre has sanctioned Rs 5,600 crore for the installation of cell towers in Odisha. "If the Odisha government had the policies and the will, people would not have to leave the state in search of work." "It is therefore critical to vote for the BJP in order to assure growth," he continued.

On November 21, Commerce and Transport Minister Tukuni Sahu wrote to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, requesting that the project be reconsidered, igniting another another debate in the run-up to the bypoll. The decision came after the two parties clashed over crop insurance for farmers.

Vaishnaw had placed the ball in the state's court while responding to her letter. He stated that the project has received in-principle clearance from the Centre, and that Odisha Rail Infrastructure Development Limited (ORIDL), a state government joint venture, will be informed on December 31, 2021.

"In order to move forward with the project, ORIDL must undertake a survey, create a blueprint, and acquire land." As a result, I would like to propose that the state government speed the survey and land purchase procedure," Vaishaw wrote in an Odia letter to Sahu.