Bhubaneswar, April 26 -- Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah's assurance to set up a textile mill in Bolangir district has heated up the political atmosphere in Western Odisha ahead of the upcoming 2024 General Elections.

Targeting the BJD government in his speech during the Sonepur visit on Thursday, Shah sarcastically said that though a huge amount of cotton (kappa) is being produced in Bolangir, the State government has decided to set up a textile mill in another area. Shah assured that the textile mill will be set up in Bolangir to change the fortune of thousands of cotton farmers in the district if the BJP comes to power.

Throwing their weight behind Shah's statement, Opposition parties, local residents and farmers ...