File picture of chief minister Naveen Patnaik celebrating Nuakhai festival

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 16: The BJD will not take part in the nationwide strike called by the NDA on September 20 against the Centre’s failed economic policies. Instead, the party will organise a statewide agitation tomorrow.

The party’s ideological differences with the BJP-led NDA notwithstanding, the strike being called to protest a wide spectrum of economic issues, including hike in diesel price, entry of FDIs in the retail-sector and a cap on supply of subsidised LPG cylinders could have been an acid test for the party.

But the BJD has found a convenient fig leaf in Nuakhai, the famous harvest festival of western Odisha, which falls on the strike day. Panchayati raj minister Kalpataru Das said: “As a regional party, we have decided not to create any sort of problem for the people of western Odisha by taking part in the strike. They have every right to enjoy the festival.”

BJP leader from western Odisha K.V. Singhdeo said the state unit had taken up the matter with the central leadership and decided not to include Odisha in its call because of Nuakhai.

On whether the BJD would have supported the strike call, had it been given on any other day, Das said the BJD, in principle, had decided to maintain “equidistance” both from the Congress-led UPA and the BJD-led NDA.

“During the vice-president election, we had abstained from taking part in the election and successfully sent the message to all. However, it was another issue that the NDA partners supported the BJD’s presidential candidate,” he said.

Information and pubic relations minister Arun Sahu echoed Das, saying that because of Nuakhai, the party had decided not to join the strike on September 20.

However, BJD’s youth wing leader Sanjay Dasburma said: “The party will officially announce its decision on the strike after our statewide agitation against price hike tomorrow. We have decided to organise a protest rally and meeting in all the 30 districts and the revenue divisional commissioner’s office to lodge our protest against the sharp hike in diesel price and a cap on supply of subsidised gas to the households.”

The strike call given by the NDA has created resentment among the people of western Odisha as it coincides with Nuakhai.

“People of western Odisha observe the Nuakhai festival through the length and breadth of the region with fervour. The call will create a lot of difficulties for them,” said former MP Bhabani Shankar Hota.

“People will defy the strike and observe the festival, although they support its cause,” said Hota.

Biranchi Narayan Pati, president of the Odisha Sanskrutika Samaj, said they had called a meeting tomorrow to discuss the issue. “People staying at far-off places come home to observe the festival. We will appeal to the political parties to postpone the strike, though we support their cause,” he said.

President of the Balangir Zilla Lekhak Parishad Sashi Bhusan Purohit said: “Since the strike will be observed on the Nuakhai day, it will have no effect in western Odisha, as on that day, vehicles do not ply and shops remain closed.”

Senior Congress leader from western Odisha Narasingha Mishra: “Calling a strike on the Nuakhai day will cause immense difficulties for people of the region.”