Bhubaneswar, Jan 29 (IANS): As Congress kicked off its election campaign in Odisha for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections with ‘Odisha Bachao Samavesh’, the party President Mallikarjun Kharge slammed BJP and BJD on Monday over various issues the state is facing.

Kharge said that there were good relationships between Biju Patnaik and Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru.

He said that Nehru attended his last congress session in Odisha in 1964.

“The earlier Patnaik (Biju Patnaik) believed in Nehru’s ideology while the current Patnaik (Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik) is a follower of BJP’s ideology,” Kharge said while addressing a huge gathering of party workers, at Lower PMG in Bhubaneswar.

He said that the BJP and BJD have come together to ruin Odisha and are looting the rich natural resources of the state.

Without naming 5T chairman, VK Pandian, Kharge said that the state government is being run by an officer from outside. He said if Odia officers and leaders can guide the country then why the leaders in Odisha need outsiders for guidance.

“Paradip Port, Rourkela Steel Plant, Chilka Naval Academy, Rail coach factory at Mancheswar, HAL Ordnance factory were established in Odisha during the Congress rule. Congress has gifted the Institute of Physics, NISER, and AIIMS. What are the contributions of Naveen Patnaik and BJP to Odisha,” Kharge asked.

In a veiled attack on Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, Kharge said: “People scared of threats from BJP are leaving friendship, party and alliance. How can democracy and the constitution be saved in the presence of such timid people.”

He said that the upcoming general election is the last chance to save the constitution, electoral democracy in the country.

The AICC president also took a dig at the state and central government over rampant unemployment among the youths despite huge vacancies in various sectors.