With Lok Sabha and assembly elections not far away in Odisha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday attacked the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government saying so many scams have surfaced in the state where corruption and delay in decisions have become its identity and was hampering development. He also criticised the Naveen Patnaik government for opting out of the Centre's health insurance scheme that is to be rolled out today.

Addressing a BJP rally after inaugurating the Jharsuguda Airport, he said the Centre had more than doubled the fund allocation to Odisha but its effects were not visible on the ground. "Can you see the impact of this money on the ground? Where is this money going? In recent times, so many scams have surfaced in Odisha... How will development happen in such a situation? So time has come for a big change in Odisha," he said.