Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s demand for Special Category State (SCS) status to Odisha at the National Development Council meet in Delhi has invited flak from the Opposition political parties. Terming it as a diversionary tactics, they said the State does not qualify for the status as it does not share an international boundary.
Stating that Odisha does not satisfy the criteria for SCS status, OPCC general secretary Arjya Kumar Gyanendra said that the Chief Minister should have raised the demand during the NDA regime.
Fully aware that SCS status cannot be granted to Odisha, Gyanendra alleged that the demand is a diversionary tactic of the Chief Minister keeping in view the next elections. “Odisha cannot get SCS status only through statements and letters,” he said and asked why had the Chief Minister forgotten the demand when the NDA was in power.
BJP spokesperson Ashok Kumar Sahu also maintained that Odisha does not qualify for the SCS status as per the Gadgil formula. The State does not have an international boundary and it cannot get SCS status, Sahu said and added that the guidelines have to be changed for that.
Sahu said the State Government should point out that as there will be a Chinese base in an island near the Andaman and Nicobar islands and Odisha also has the Chandbali base, more vulnerable than any other state with international boundary.
The demand is a long-standing one and being raised by the last several decades. However, successive governments at the Centre have always rejected it as the State does not fulfil the criteria.
The Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission had rejected the demand in January by stating that it does not fulfil the criteria. The Chief Minister had, however, again raised the demand at the NDC meeting this time. He had criticised the Centre for not granting the status at the BJD’s foundation day meeting on December 26 here.