Bhubaneswar, May 15: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized the Biju Janata Dal's (BJD) manifesto on Wednesday, labeling it as misleading and demanding clarity regarding the ruling party's promise of free electricity.

Senior BJP leader Samir Mohanty, speaking at a press conference, accused the BJD of initially pledging to provide free electricity in its advertisements, only to later retract and offer 100 units free instead. Mohanty asserted that the BJD's manifesto is misleading the people of Odisha and called for transparency regarding the exact number of units that will be provided free to consumers. He criticized the ruling party for allegedly neglecting consumer interests in the state, despite Odisha having coal and power plants.

Mohanty highlighted that the BJP, in its manifesto, had promised free electricity to consumers under the PM Suryaghar scheme. He criticized the BJD's lack of clarity, especially during election time, emphasizing that electricity is crucial for economic development.

Demanding data from the BJD on households using different units of electricity, Mohanty raised concerns about the potential increase in electricity bills for families consuming less than 100 units if the promised 100 units of free electricity are implemented. He also pointed out that Odisha residents currently pay 90 paise per unit more than the national average and noted that many other states provide higher levels of free electricity or subsidies to their residents.

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