BJP leader Jual Oram (left) at the party’s executive meet in Cuttack on Wednesday. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, July 20: A two-day BJP state executive committee meeting today began here to devise the party’s strategy for the three-tier panchayat elections scheduled to be held next year.

Office bearers of the BJP deliberated on the prevailing political situation in the state and discussed steps to strengthen the party.

In his presidential address, BJP president Jual Oram said that both the Biju Janata Dal in the state and UPA at the centre “are engaged in mudslinging and are blaming each other on various issues. There is an unholy nexus between the two. The BJD may support the UPA government in the event of the DMK withdrawing support from the Union government.”

Oram claimed that the BJP “is the main opposition party in the state as its members had busted a number of scams, including the mining scam. The Congress, however, had taken up these issues in a very casual manner.”

Oram also expressed concern at the deteriorating law and order situation and referred to the recent police firing in which two persons were killed in Kodala in Ganjam.

Others who attended the meeting included the party’s national general secretary Dharmendra Pradhan, national general secretary and Orissa-in-charge Santosh Gangwar, and senior BJP leaders including Bishwa Bhusan Harichandan, Bijay Mohapatra, Suresh Pujari and Surama Padhi. The party has decided to organise a Bhrastachar Hatao Samavesh (convention against corrption) in 103 out of 147 Assembly constituencies in the state.

“Though the morale of the party workers was down after the last general elections, the scenario is changing fast. Workers are enthusiastic about the revival of the party,” said national general secretary Santosh Gangwar.