Workers and supporters of the Odisha Jan Morcha (OJM) on Friday staged a dharna in front of the Raj Bhavan demanding immediate withdrawal of false cases and to release the four unemployed youths who were arrested at the Jajpur Nijukti Mela. A delegation of the OJM met the Governor and handed over a memorandum on the issue to him.
The memorandum said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had failed to keep his promise given in the BJD election manifesto during the 2004 general elections to provide employment and self-employment to 29 lakh youths within five years.
Again, during the 2009 elections, Patnaik promised in his party manifesto to provide employment to 15 lakh youths in five years. But after getting elected, the Chief Minister forgot to deliver on his promises and betrayed the youth mass.
Now, less than a year of the next elections, Patnaik declared that one lakh jobs would be given to youths and then started the “drama” of Nijukti Mela like the “dramas” of the Youth Policy and Agriculture Policy. But the anger of the youths at such betrayal was reflected in the two-day Nijukti Mela in Jajpur district started on December 19 last when the participating industries demanded experience certificates from the jobless youths.
The district administration had not earlier mentioned about the need of experience certificates for getting jobs. The youths asked the Collector who was present over there, but he avoided the issue and tried to leave the place. Hundreds of youths obstructed the Collector’s vehicle and were subjected to police lathicharge. After that, a revengeful Government filed an FIR with false charges against nine unemployed youths and arrested four of them.
The party members urged the Governor to direct the Government to release the youths immediately.