Bhubaneswar, Jan. 23: The Congress party in the state has decided to launch a “gaon ku chala” (let’s go to villages) programme from January 30 to make people living in rural areas aware of the “misdeeds of the Naveen Patnaik government”.

Speaking at a function to commemorate the birth anniversaries of Subash Chandra Bose and Veera Surendra Sai, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president K.P. Singh Deo said: “During the two-month campaign, party workers will visit villages and talk about failures of the Naveen government. They will also highlight various welfare measures undertaken by the UPA government.”

The party will also organise district-level demonstrations against the alleged failure of the state government on different fronts. The party would highlight the mining scam and alleged irregularities in the implementation of the rural job scheme. Congress will launch its second phase of action from April. It will launch a “jail bharo” (fill up jail) agitation after June 15.

BJD leaders, however, are not taking the Congress programme seriously. “It will have no effect on the people. The BJD launched its mass contact programme from January 14. It will end on February 17. The party aims to enrol at least one person from 80 lakh families in the state,” said BJD youth wing president Sanjay Dasburma.

. The Centre has not been able to announce a financial package for the farmers of the state who have been affected the by untimely rain. The price of petrol has been hiked six times. We are highlighting the step-motherly treatment meted out by the Congress-led UPA government towards our state,”