Congress To Gherao Lok Seva Bhawan In Bhubaneswar On Feb 26 Against ‘Anti-Poor’ Policies Of Odisha Govt

Bhubaneswar: Mounting a stinging attack on Odisha’s Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government, Congress on Friday threatened to gherao the Lok Sabha Bhawan in Bhubaneswar on February 26 over a host of issues, including alleged corruption and crime against women.

Addressing a press meet in Bhubaneswar, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Sarat Pattanayak said that party workers and leaders from across the state would gather in the state capital on February 26 and take out a march to gherao the state secretariat.

Accusing the Naveen Patnaik government of having failed in all spheres during its 24 years of rule, the PCC chief said that the party would protest the ‘anti-farmer and anti-poor’ policies of the state as well as the BJP-led government at the Centre.

Alleging largescale corruption in all spheres in the state, he claimed that Odisha was rocked by a series of scandals including the multi-crore mining scam and chit fund scandal for which the BJD government is responsible.

Claiming that the state witnessed growing unemployment, the Congress leader said lakhs of youths are migrating to other states in search of jobs as the BJD government failed to take any concrete step to create employment opportunities.

Coming down heavily on the BJD government over issues relating to women, Pattanayak alleged that atrocities against women have been rising alarmingly across the state. Women find themselves highly unsafe and insecure despite tall claims by the state government of working for their empowerment.

Similarly, the plight of farmers has got compounded because of wrong policies adopted by the government, he claimed, adding that farmers are forced to resort to distress sale of their produce in the absence of proper mechanism for procurement.

The Congress leader also accused both BJD and BJP of being working together to mislead and cheat the people, and alleged that both these parties are taking the state towards destruction.

However, the people of the state have now come to understand the true nature of BJD and BJP and they will teach the two parties a lesson in the upcoming elections, the PCC chief added.