Bhubaneswar: Dubbing the BJD government in Odisha as ‘anti-tribal’, veteran BJP leader and former Union Minister Jual Oram on Saturday accused it of hatching a conspiracy to grab the land of poor tribal people in the state.
Addressing a press meet in Bhubaneswar, the BJP stalwart alleged that the Naveen Patnaik-led government has not done for the welfare of tribals during the last 25 years, and said the people of the state will oust BJD from power in 2024 elections.
Oram, a former Union Tribal Affairs Minister, claimed that the ‘anti-tribal’ mindset of the BJD regime came to the fore when the state cabinet decided to hand over land of tribals to industrialists and corporate houses using the name of Tribal Advisory Council (TAC).
“Instead of adopting a sensitive approach towards the tribal people in the last 25 years, the BJD government hatched a conspiracy to grab their land,” he claimed, urging the people to dethrone the BJD by voting against it in the ongoing polls.
Coming down heavily on the Chief Minister, the veteran tribal leader said though the TA, chaired by Naveen, should hold at least two meetings in a year, the Council met only twice in the last 25 years. “It shows the BJD government’s concern about the tribals and their welfare,” he said.
Accusing the Naveen Patnaik government of having put an end to the system of providing loans to tribals at low interest from ST Finance Corporation, Oram said no step is also being taken to collect forest produce through Tribal Development Cooperative Corporation (TTDC).
On the other hand, the Nrendra Modi government at the Centre has provided Rs 25 crore for every panchayat samiti in the state for establishment of Ekalavya Model Residential Schools, the senior BJP leader said, adding that the state government is not providing land for the purpose.
Oram further alleged that the fund being provided by the Centre for various tribal development programmes is being misappropriated in the state.
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