BJP will accomplish 'Mission 120 plus' in Odisha polls in 2019, says Smriti Irani

Bhubaneswar: Union minister Smriti Irani on Tuesday said the BJP would achieve its mission of securing more than 120 seats in the Odisha Assembly elections with the overwhelming support of the people, since there are “indicators of failure” in health, education and, law and order in the BJD-ruled state. [caption id=“attachment_4602581” align=“alignleft” width=“360”] Smriti Irani speaks during a meeting in Bhubaneswar on 26 June, 2018. PTI[/caption] The overwhelming support of the people of the state will help the BJP achieve its goal, she told reporters. After the BJP’s spectacular performance in the Odisha rural polls in February last year, the party’s national President Amit Shah had set a target of winning 120 of the 147 Assembly seats in Odisha in the next state polls. As of now, the BJP has 10 members in the Odisha Assembly. Shah is scheduled to visit the state on 1 July. “There are indicators of failure in health, education and law and order sectors in Odisha. On the other hand, there is good governance by the BJP in other states. The BJP will achieve its goal (in Odisha) due to these indications of failure,” Irani said in reply to a question on how the saffron party would achieve its 120 plus mission as announced by Shah . She said, “It is not only that the BJP president says it, the overwhelming response of the people will fulfill our mission.” Reacting sharply to Irani’s comments, state finance minister Sashi Bhusan Behera said, “We do not need personal certificates from Smriti Irani. There are a lot of controversies surrounding her. Many Union ministries have praised the performance of Odisha and its Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.” Behera claimed that 4.5 crore people of Odisha have certified the performance of Naveen Patnaik and he would return to power for the fifth time in the Assembly polls due next year. After reaching Bhubaneswar in the morning, Irani went to the Bunakar (weavers) Seva Kendra at Saheed Nagar and later attended a meeting of senior citizens and think-tanks. She is scheduled to attend Sampark for Samarthan (contact for support) programme, which was launched by Shah on 29 May to mark four years of BJP government at the Centre.