BJD activists stage dharna over special category status

BJD members staged dharna here on Monday demanding special category status for Odisha.

Led by BJD district president Basant Das and local MLA K Narayan Rao, they sat on dharna in front of the collectorate here. Addressing a public meeting, Rao flayed the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre for its step-motherly attitude towards Odisha.  They warned of intensifying their agitation if the Centre does not pay heed to their demand.

At Nayagarh, the party workers led by Energy Minister and local MLA Arun Kumar Sahoo sat on a token hunger strike near the district collectorate over the demand. Workers at Jharsuguda, submitted a memorandum, addressed to the President of India Pranab Mukherjee, to the Sub-Collector SK Tripathy.  Senior BJD leaders including former Odisha Legislative Assembly  speaker Kishore Kumar Mohanty and District BJD Youth president Trinath Gual were present.

Similar agitation was organised at Balangir as well. Here, BJD workers blamed Congress of being apathetic towards the State and not giving it special category status. They alleged that states like Bihar and West Bengal are getting more Central aid than Odisha.

At Sambalpur, the party workers staged dharna in front of the collectorate led by senior BJD leader and Chairman of Sambalpur Development Authority Bijay Kumar Mohanty.