Cuttack, Aug. 9: Accusing the Centre of adopting a “discriminatory approach” towards Orissa, chief minister and ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief Naveen Patnaik today announced that his party would intensify its fight against the Centre’s apathy.
Addressing a youth convention “Sankalp Kranti Samavesh” organised by the party’s youth wing, Naveen called upon the party workers to fight against the Congress-led UPA government, which is “neck deep in corruption” and take the issue to the people.
Launching a frontal attack on the Centre, Naveen said: “Though the Centre has been collecting crores of revenue from mineral-rich states like Orissa, it is not allocating adequate funds to the backward state.”
Naveen alleged that the Centre had been doling out packages on “political considerations to different states” while “closing its eyes” to the needs of Orissa and its poor people.
“Consequently, Orissa has been a victim of discriminatory policy,” he charged.
Stating that the Centre has a special obligation towards poor and backward states like Orissa in the federal set up, Naveen said: “Orissa has always been neglected by the Centre in respect of royalty revision of coal and major minerals, development of railway infrastructure, port expansion and grant of special category status.”
The chief minister was pointing out at how the Centre had ignored Orissa’s demand by delaying revision of rate of royalty on minerals to 20 per cent from 10 per cent on ad valorem basis and how it had taken the “unilateral move” to extend the Calcutta port limits.
Naveen also raised issues related to spiralling prices of essential commodities, rise in the prices of petrol, diesel, LPG and kerosene and accused the government at the Centre of oppressing and exploiting the “Aam Aadmi”.
Rajya Sabha member Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, on the other hand, alleged that the Congress and BJP had joined hands for ulterior motives. He asked Congress and BJP leaders in Orissa to join hands with BJD for the fight against the Centre instead of “collaborating” with their central leaders.
Mohapatra exhorted the BJD’s youth wing to take up the “connect family” programme intensively by forming ward committees to ensure that at least one member (a youth) becomes a member of the party.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the visibly less presence of women, he said: “If 25 lakh of the 50 lakh women members of self help groups formed in the state are enrolled as members, it could be the best possible tribute to the leader of the party.”
Sanjay Das Burma, president of Biju Yuva Janata Dal (BYJD), the BJD’s youth wing, said the party would continue to fight for securing the rights of the state. He said committees would be formed at the district, block, urban local bodies and gram panchayat levels to strengthen the organisation. Besides, workshops would be organised in all the districts to intensify the ‘Orissa Banchao’ movement.
The ruling party, which has been facing combined Opposition heat on several corruption charges, today organised the youth convention to carry forward its “Save Orissa” campaign. Last year, the BJD youth wing had held “Save Orissa” rallies at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi, Malkangiri on the Andhra-Orissa border and Jagatsinghpur in the coastal belt.
BYJD members from nine coastal districts (Cuttack, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Dhenkanal, Angul, Puri, Khurda and Nayagarh) participated in the youth convention today.
The Congress, on the other hand, staged demonstrations at all the district headquarters on the occasion of “Kranti Divas” to highlight the “corruption and failures” of the BJD government. The party leaders handed over memoranda addressed to the governor through the district collectors.
Addressing a protest demonstration at Nabarangpur, Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik alleged that the Naveen Patnaik government was embroiled in “neck deep corruption”.
