After the Swabhiman rally, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has decided to move to the constituencies to prepare the organisation for the polls and make the special category State status the central issue.
The volatile situation at the Centre and the Government’s eagerness to get through the Food Security Bill have given rise to speculation about an early poll, possibly in November. Sources said now that the Delhi rally is over, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will convene the State executive meeting after the Raja festivals to decide on the next course of action for the party.
The BJD leaders had announced before the rally that the party will decide on its future course of action if the Centre does not declare Odisha as a special category State. Many of the ministers and MLAs, who attended the Delhi rally, have already moved back to their constituencies.
Describing the rally as a success, government chief whip Prabhat Tripathy said it is for the first time that such a rally was organised at the national capital by any political party of the State to forcefully put forth the demand of Odisha.
It had a positive effect on the party rank and file, he said and added that the rally has revitalised the cadre.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Damodar Rout also said the rally and the demand for special category State pointed towards the direction for the workers for launching the campaign in the constituencies. Both Rout and Tripathy have moved back to their respective constituencies after the rally and addressed local meetings.
The Opposition Congress has, however, described the Delhi rally as a narrow political game. Having betrayed the people of the State by promising them special category State, the Chief Minister is now trying to make it an election issue, former minister Narsingh Mishra said.
Mishra said as a Union minister, Naveen had announced at Ranchi that Odisha will be declared a special category State within six months. Besides, the BJD promised in its 2000 election manifesto that it will fight for the demand. As BJD was in NDA then, what prevented Naveen from raising the issue, the Congress leader asked and said there was no justification in holding such a rally in Delhi now when the Centre has already changed the guidelines.