The ‘Parivartan padayatra’ of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee against the ‘all-pervasive corruption’ in the Naveen-led government was launched from Swaraj Ashram in Cuttack on Tuesday.
The parivartan yatra will continue for eight days to end on October 9, the birth anniversary of Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das at Bakul Ban of Sakshigopal. Several senior leaders of the party, including Union Minister of State Srikant Jena, attended the launching function which was led by OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik.
It is aimed at exposing the scam-ridden State Government by informing the people about the irregularities in purchase of dal, recommendations made by the Chief Minister for allocation of coal blocks to private parties, irregularities in the implementation of MGNREGS and the mining scam, a senior Congress leader said.
The deteriorating law and order situation in the State can be gauged from the growing atrocities on women and dalits, the Congress leader said and alleged that Maoist activities have spread to more than 20 districts in the last couple of years.
People would be sensitised on how the State Government is trying to hijack the welfare programmes launched by the Centre by giving different names to woo people ahead of the 2014 polls, he said.
The parivartan yatra would touch Telengapentha, Bramhan Jharilo, Maidharpada, Bhingarpur, Nikunja Bihari Balianta, Balakati, Satyabhamapur, Panikata, Mangalpur, Haripur, Pipili, Sata Sankha before reaching Bakul Ban in Sakshigopal. Token padayatras will also be organised by all the District Congress Committees (DCCs) in their areas during this period.