UPA has no right to continue after betraying Aam Admi: Naveen Patnaik

Bhubaneswar: Accusing the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre of betraying "Aam Admi", Odisha Chief Minister and BJD President Naveen Patnaik today said it has no right to rule the country.

"UPA has failed on all fronts and, therefore, lost trust of the Aam Admi. It has no right to continue in the government at the Centre," Patnaik said while addressing a meeting here marking end of ruling BJD's ten-day padyatra progranmme.

Rise in prices of different commodities, especially diesel and regulation on LPG exposed wrong economic policies of the UPA government, Patnaik said, adding the common man in rural pockets had been severely hit in the process.

"The UPA government is ruling the country by sitting on hills of corruption," he said naming a number of recent scams and cases of financial irregularities.

Turning to Odisha, the Chief Minister alleged that the state had been a victim of political discrimination by the Centre. "Our demand for special assistance for KBK and other backward regions are ignored by the Centre," he alleged.

On Congress leaders' claim that UPA sanctioned more projects and gave more financial assistance than previous NDA government, Patnaik said, "They (Congress) have no right to make such claims. The state gives a lot to Centre in terms of tax, royalty and earnings from railway but gets a pittance."

Under the federal system, the Centre is duty bound to assist states but "we have been denied genuine entitlements for Odisha", he said, adding the ruling BJD would continue its fight for the rights of the state.