BJD’s protest march against central government

BHUBANESWAR - The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Saturday began a ten-day protest march in Orissa against the central government accusing it of working against the interests of the state.

While Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik led a “pada yatra” (foot march) at Madhupur village in Nuapada district, some 550 km from here, Rajya Sabha member Pyarimohan Mohapatra led another rally in state capital Bhubaneswar.

The central government was deliberately hindering various industrial and development projects in Orissa, Mohapatra said.

Accusing the union government of maintaining double standard in the allocation of grants and projects in Congress and non-Congress ruled states, he said: “The BJD will intensify protests in the coming days.”

The BJD had earlier organised three separate rallies last month in Kalahandi, Malkangiri and Jagatsinghpur districts.

The BJD leaders are angry after the union ministry of environment and forests scrapped the Vedanta mining project, and halted the land acquisition for a steel project by South Korean steel major POSCO in the state.

The leaders are also angry after the same ministry granted approval to the Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh despite Orissa government’s opposition.

A senior BJD leader said the protest which began on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi would end Oct 11, the birth anniversary of socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan who spearheaded people’s movement in the country.

Senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh, also the leader of opposition in the state assembly, denied the BJD’s charges and said the the party was taking out the protests to hide its misdeeds.