Budget accounted for free power promise, it’s BJP promising freebies, says Pandian Premium

Biju Janata Dal leader V K Pandian criticizes BJP's ₹50,000 voucher promise, defends BJD's free power pledge.

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and chairman of 5T, V K Pandian said that his party’s election promise of free power to 90% households in the State had sound financial reasoning backing it, provisions for which were available in the State budget.

Speaking exclusively to The Hindu he said that what had shocked him was the BJP’s polls promise of a ₹50,000 “voucher” for two crore women in the state.

“Odisha government has the financial cushion to promise free power, for me, its shocking the way BJP has promised freebies, despite declaring they are against freebie culture. They have announced a funny scheme for Odisha in their manifesto, that they will come up with a ₹50,000 “voucher” for two crore women. First of all, what is a voucher? We are not running a shopping mall, plus, the outlay for this would be ₹1 lakh crore when your total budget is ₹2 lakh crore! It’s a mockery of developmental economics, BJP’s plans will push back Odisha by 25 years,” he said.

He said that Odisha being a revenue surplus state could afford the free electricity promise made by the BJD. “Looking at our revenue surplus of ₹25,000 crores, Odisha being one of the few states with a revenue surplus, we will take a hit of only ₹2,000 crores on this scheme. To look at it in another way, our target is to make Odisha’s per capita income the highest in the country, the way to do it is to cut down the costs to individual households, chief minister Patnaik has already done that via free health coverage, free education and power is the next thing,” he said.

He added that the other side of the equation was increasing income generation for which the state was receiving investments in the sectors of power, clean energy, green ammonia, textiles, semi conductors and IT. “Investors are attracted not just by trust in the governance, but the fact that we have a huge buffer to avail credit and back up whatever capital incentive we give to industry. This is the way we are looking to do poverty alleviation and social security, not by doling out freebies,” he said.

Odisha is electing its State Assembly simultaneously with the Lok Sabha poll. Nistula Hebbar caught up with BJD leader and former bureaucrat V.K. Pandian on the contest in the State and how he deals with the ‘outsider’ tag.