Bhubaneswar, June 21: The BJD will continue its agitation on issues of central neglect notwithstanding its support to the BJP's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.
BJD president and chief minister Naveen Patnaik announced this at the south Odisha regional convention of the party's youth wing held in Berhampur today.
While the BJD youth and student wings staged demonstrations across the state on Monday over the Mahanadi and the special category issue, the party's peasant cell today announced to hold a demonstration in front of the Governor's House on June 23.
Announcing the agitational programme, BJD Krushak Samukhya convener Sushant Singh said: "The increase of the minimum support price (MSP) for the paddy announced by the central government yesterday is disappointing."
On March 25, the Assembly passed an unanimous resolution, urging the Centre to raise the minimum support price to Rs 2,930 per quintal. However, the Centre has hiked the MSP by Rs 80 per quintal from the existing rate of Rs 1,470 per quintal. An all-party committee of the Assembly, headed by the Speaker, had earlier decided to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press for the demand.
Naveen today made it clear that his party would continue its agitation on issues of the special category status to Odisha, Mahanadi river dispute and the MSP hike, while he defended his decision to support the BJP's presidential candidate.
On the other hand, Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the BJD was enacting dram over the alleged central neglect to "cover up its party government's failures and inefficiency".
Addressing the party cadres, Naveen said the Office of the President of India was above political considerations and the BJD wanted to keep it above politics. "In fact, the President does not belong to any political party. In my view, in a matured democracy, the President should be elected in a consensus manner. So, when the Prime Minister suggested the name of Ram Nath Kovind, we extended our support to him taking all factors into consideration in the interests of the nation," he told the partymen.
However, raising issue of the special category state status to Odisha, Naveen said that in the last election, the BJP, in its manifesto, had promised it to the state. "It was the BJP's number one agenda. But after coming to power at the Centre, they are now taking a negative stand in this regard."
Last week, Union minister General V.K. Singh, during his visit to the state, had observed that there was no need to accord the special category state status to Odisha as it had received enough central assistance during the NDA regime.
Reiterating it, Pradhan said the central grants flow had now reached Rs 65,000 crore as against the 13<+>th<+> Finance Commission award of Rs 22,000 crore to Rs 23,000 crore. "The special category state demand has lost its relevance after the constitution of Niti Aayog and Odisha chief minister was party to Aayog's decision on the issue," he said.
Naveen had also dwelt on the MSP and the Mahanadi issues. "The Centre's decision on MSP is totally disappointing. On the Mahanadi issue, it has failed in its responsibility and taking a partial stand," he said.
