The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Thursday challenged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to a public debate on the causes behind Odisha remaining poor and who is responsible for this, the 14-year rule of Biju Janata Dal or the 10-year UPA rule at the Centre.
In its first media conference after the announcement of general elections, the Team Congress, OPCC president Jayadev Jena, Union Minister of State for Fertilisers Srikant Jena, media cell chairman Narsingh Mishra, party whip in the Assembly Prasad Harichandan and senior leader Matlub Ali launched a scathing attack on the Chief Minister for trying to divert attention from the scams and irregularities in the State by raising issues like Central neglect.
The party will wait till Monday for a response from the Chief Minister in this regard, the OPCC president said, adding that if he failed to respond, senior leaders will meet Naveen to invite him for a debate.
If the Chief Minister did not agree even after this, the Congress will launch a Statewide agitation against the BJD Government over the issue, Srikant Jena, who is also the chairman of the party’s campaign committee, said.
Instead of raising the false issue of Central neglect at every opportunity, the Chief Minister should have imposed cess on mineral-bearing land and taken steps to collect `60,000 crore from mine owners, as recommended by the Shah Commission, for illegal mining. Why is he silent on these issues, Srikant Jena asked.
Reiterating the demand for a CBI probe into the mining scam as recommended by the Shah Commission, Mishra asked why as the Coal Minister during the NDA regime he had declined to hike royalty on coal. The issue had been raised in the Assembly, Mishra said and criticised the State Government for passing a defective Bill for imposing cess on mineral-bearing land which was struck down by the High Court.
The Congress had demanded in the Assembly that the State Government should formulate a law basing on a similar Act in West Bengal or 1991 Odisha law for imposing cess on mineral-bearing land. But a defective law was passed only to benefit the mine owners, Mishra alleged and asked who is responsible for such a huge loss to the State exchequer.
Prasad ridiculed the Chief Minister giving a call for protecting the self-respect (swabhiman) of Odisha while he has failed to learn Odia during the last 14 years.