Bhubaneswar, Nov. 13: The state unit of the Congress will launch “Orissa Bachao, Naveen Bhagao” movement from next month.

Announcing this at a news conference here today, AICC general secretary in charge of Orissa Ajay Maken said a massive rally would be staged at Sambalpur on December 2 to protest against the diversion of Hirakud water to industries at the cost of farmers.

The party decided to launch the agitation from Sambalpur to exploit the growing resentment among the peasants of western Orissa following a police lathi-charge on agitating farmers at Burla on November 6.

“The capacity of the Hirakud reservoir is decreasing due to siltation. The farmer’s share will further reduce if the water is diverted to industries, said the AICC leader. “We will build up protest movements on burning issues democratically and in a Gandhian way,” he added.

Maken said the party’s state executive discussed a chargesheet (draft) against the BJD-BJP government, which lists 24 charges. More would be added to the already existing list. The party would then go to the people with the final chargesheet against the government.

The prominent charges include failures of the Naveen Patnaik government in dealing with the cholera epidemic which claimed more than 800 lives, spurious drug racket, the marksheet scandal involving a departmental minister. It also includes the Indira Awas scam, liquor deaths in Naveen’s home district, alleged waiver of 70 per cent loans to an industrial house owned by a ruling BJD MP, mismanagement of PDS, misutilisation of central funds and growing unemployment. When reporters at the meet pointed out that Naveen Patnaik continued to be the “undisputed leader of BJD”, the number one party in the state, Maken disagreed. “How can he be called the undisputed leader when several senior leaders have revolted against his leadership and have quit the party?” he asked.

“There is a strong under current against the BJD-BJP government and in favour of the Congress. Naveen Patnaik and his government would soon become a thing of past,” he roared. However, Maken did admit that the Congress had failed to function as an effective Opposition. “Perhaps the Congress is not a very good Opposition,” he admitted.

The AICC leader, however, ruled out chances of change in leadership. “There is no need for any replacement. But the organisational set up has to be revamped to make it more effective,” he added.