MALKANGIRI : In a unique protest against the State Government, the district Congress has opened a temporary school at its dharna site in front of the district Collectorate over non-issuance of caste certificate to around 2000 Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students. On the other hand, some local Congress leaders have opposed the agitation, thereby bringing to the fore the internal conflict in the party’s district unit.Since Tuesday, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) working president and former MP Pradeep Majhi along with other party leaders are teaching around 100 children in the makeshift school at the dharna site to draw the State Government’s attention to their five-point charter of demands.
Majhi alleged that around 2000 SC/ST students across the district have been unable to take admission in schools as the authorities have failed to issue caste certificates to them despite repeated demands.
The Congress demands include distribution of land pattas to all the residents of Malkangiri town and other rural areas, tracing of missing Bonda tribal student of KISS Rama Chandra Mandra, bringing Laxmi Matam of Chitrakonda back to India from Bangladesh and provision of land pass book for Bengali families in the region, Majhi said.
However, Congress leader Sarat Chandra Buruda disapproved of the protest and said there is no truth in the allegation made by Majhi. About 90 per cent of the students who have not been issued caste certificates, as alleged by Majhi, are not from SC/ST communities. Hence, there is no question of issuing caste certificates to them, said Buruda.Attacking Majhi for opposing Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s proposed visit to Malkangiri to inaugurate Gurupriya bridge, Buruda said the former MP is speaking the language of Maoists who have been opposing construction of the bridge since years.
Buruda, a former police officer, said people of Malkangiri don’t want a development certificate from the OPCC working president. The recent NITI Aayog report has put Malkangiri at the number one spot in the State for making improvement in key areas among the aspirational districts. He further said senior leaders of the party have been ignored and the Congress is a divided house in the district.