Bhubaneswar, Aug. 23 (PTI): With support for Anna Hazare’s fast against corruption swelling in Orissa, Left parties staged a dharna here today demanding a strong Lokpal bill with the Prime Minister in its ambit as a dawn-to-dusk bandh was observed in Balangir town backing the Gandhian.

Activists of CPI, CPI-M and Forward Bloc staged a dharna near Raj Bhavan and submitted a memorandum to Orissa governor M.C. Bhandare seeking a strong Lokpal bill covering the Prime Minister and his office within its purview, CPI state secretary Dibakar Nayak said.

The Left parties in their memorandum also sought a new judicial accountability law to curb corruption in higher judiciary, effective electoral reforms, a strong legislation to end politician-bureaucrat nexus and steps to bring back black money stashed abroad, Nayak said.

Supporters of Hazare, including students, artists, writers and intellectuals under the banner of different outfits, also held rallies and dharnas.

In Balangir, responding to a shutdown called by Balangir Chamber of Commerce, shops and business establishments in the district headquarter town downed shutters while educational institutions and banks remained closed.

Women and children sporting tricolour headbands and wrist bands and men waving the tricolour and wearing Gandhi caps went round the town exhorting the people to support for a strong Jan Lokpal bill.

They took out a rally from Samaleswari temple up to the collectorate and back.

Reports of rallies also poured in from different places including Cuttack, Berhampur, Sambalpur, Rourkela and Balasore.