lambasting Odisha’s BJD Government for unleashing terror and repression against ‘innocent’ tribals in Malkangiri, Congress leaders on Sunday accused the Malkangiri district administration of preventing people from attending a public meeting held here to mark the launch of Congress’ election campaign in the State.
PCC president Jayadev Jena while addressing a poorly attended meeting here alleged that the BJD Government was targeting innocent tribal people after branding them as Maoists. He said the district administration and police had prevented people from attending the Congress rally at the behest of the ruling party.
“Thousands of Congress supporters have been prevented by the police from reaching our meeting venue at DNK grounds on the flimsy ground that they were not carrying any identity proof. This is anti-democratic and condemnable,” Jena said. AICC in-charge for Odisha B K Hariprasad who addressed the gathering said the Centre was giving crores of rupees for the development of tribal-dominated and Maoist-affected districts. Malkangiri is a tribal-dominated and Maoist-prone district, but the BJD Government in was unable to utilise the funds.
AICC secretary Subhankar Sarkar and local MP Pradip Majhi who spoke on the occasion said the people would teach anti-tribal BJD Government a lesson in the coming elections. Similar meetings were also held at Jeypore and Rayagada in which Hariprasad and other senior leaders, including the PCC president and former CM Giridhar Gamang, of the party spoke.
“Nearly 20 lakh people migrated to Kerala and 15 lakh to my Karnataka State in search of their livelihood from Naveen Patnaik’s Ganjam District. It shows how the Naveen Patnaik Government provides employment opportunities to the people of Odisha. Patnaik has failed to create employments,” Hariprasad alleged. More than 15,000 people congregated at the Jeypore meeting. Hariprasad too alleged that the State Government has neglected the tribals in providing them proper education. “I am astonished to see that there is not a single Government college in the tribal dominated and Maoist-hit Malkangiri district,” he said.