Kalpataru Das and Sanjay Dasburma

Bhubaneswar, May 20: The BJD today decided to pass a resolution in all the 6,000-odd panchayats on May 31 to step up pressure on the Centre to accord special category state status to Odisha.

Announcing it at a news conference here today that coincided with the fourth-year of the Naveen Patnaik government in its third term, the party’s vice-president and panchayati raj minister Kalpataru Das said: “The party has received huge response from the public on the issue of special category state. People have come out voluntarily to put in their signatures.”

Agriculture and housing and urban development minister Debi Prasad Mishra and deputy chief whip Sanjay Dasburma were present at the event.

Das said according to the party’s programme, after the resolution was passed, a candle rally would be launched in the gram panchayats on the same day.

The party also decided to pass resolution in the municipalities, Notified Area Councils (NAC) and municipal corporations on June 1, and later, a candle light procession would be organised in the evening. Similarly, resolution will be passed in each panchayat samiti on June 3. “The ongoing signature campaign demanding a special category state will conclude on June 7. Later, a human chain will be arranged across the state.” he said.

“The booklet carrying the signature will be given to chief minister Naveen Patnaik on June 9,” said Dasburma, who head the party’s youth wing.

The party will later submit the one crore signature to President Pranab Mukherjee. However, the date has not been finalised.

On the other hand, in order to turn the heat on the Odisha government, the state BJP unit has decided to launch a jail bhoro andolan from May 27 to 31, raising the issue of coal block scam.

Chief spokesperson for the BJP Suresh Pujari said: “This is a part of the party’s countrywide programme. As the major part of the coalgate scam took place in the state, we will take up this issue vigorously here.”

In yet another development, outgoing Odisha president of the Congress Niranjan Patnaik today met AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi. “I discussed how the Congress could be more strengthened in Odisha,” said Patnaik.

The newly appointed president Jaydev Jena today went to Puri to seek the blessings of Lord Jagannath.