Bhubaneswar, Sept. 28: This Gandhi Jayanti, political parties in the state are preparing to fight it out among themselves, albeit in a peaceful way.

The three major parties, the BJD, Congress and the BJP, are using October 2 to connect to the masses and highlight their issues. While the BJD is organising a 10-day Jana Sampark Yatra, the Congress has finalised plans for a seven-day foot march. Not willing to be left behind, the BJP has planned a day-long Satyagraha on Gandhi Jayanti.

In order to make its programme successful, the BJD today held a meeting of its functionaries, asking them to go to the district headquarters immediately.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik asked the party functionaries to highlight the recent development initiatives and the steps taken by the state government to fulfil the promises made in the manifesto. "We should also highlight as to how, in spite of fund cuts and closure of schemes by the central government, we are implementing schemes using our own funds for the development and empowerment of our people," the chief minister said.

Naveen also made it clear that the party would not tolerate any discrimination against the state by the central government. Coming down heavily on the Opposition, he told the party workers: "The fact that Opposition parties are indulging in petty politics shows how frustrated they are. We will not allow this to impact our development programmes. People at villages should be made aware of this."

According to the programme, the party will organise foot marches at the district headquarters on October 2. From October 3 onwards, the padyatras will be organised at villages and conclude at the constituency level. On the concluding day on October 11, the closing ceremony will be organised at the block headquarters or in any other prominent place in the constituency.

The Congress will also launch its foot march on October 2. It will culminate on October 9 on the Gopabandhu Jayanti Day. "We will make farmer suicides, drought and power cuts vital issues to go to the public," said Pradesh Congress Committee president Prasad Harichandan. The party vice-presidents have been entrusted with a parliamentary constituency each, while the general secretaries and secretaries will look after the Assembly segments.

The BJP, which is trying to gain some political space in the state, today announced that it would organise a peaceful Satyagraha in all the 147 Assembly constituencies. The party's political affairs committee said the day-long Satyagraha will highlight the Centre's success as against the state government's failures.