BHUBANESWAR: Highlighting gaps in the government's response to Cyclone Titli and the floods it caused, BJP on Sunday said the damage was aggravated by poor management.Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in a Facebook post followed by a press release, alleged that the Naveen Patnaik government's 'casual approach' and 'administrative inaction' had led to at least 15 deaths. Three senior BJP leaders - Bhrugu Baxipatra, Sameer Mohanty and Prithviraj Harichandan - also held press conferences to accuse the government of 'hiding' the death toll to 'keep its image intact'."Despite a clear weather forecast, the government was found wanting. The people were left to suffer. Because of the continuous mandate for 19 years, the BJD government has become arrogant and indifferent to the people's plight," Dharmendra wrote. "Naveen's slogan of zero casualty turned out to be self-promotion propaganda. Instead of accepting the damage, the government is in denial mode," he further wrote.Baxipatra, Mohanty and Harichandan, who visited the affected areas separately on Friday and Saturday, said they could confirm 45 deaths. "While 40 people died in Gajapati district , five died in Chikiti block of Ganjam district ," Baxipatra said, adding, "It's unfortunate that the government is not ready to concede the deaths."The BJD countered BJP, saying the saffron party was trying to draw political mileage out of the natural disaster."This shows their desperation. A natural calamity happened. The government has been doing its best to mitigate the people's sufferings. There is no question of hiding deaths," said BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra.

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