Congress activists led by PCC president Niranjan Patnaik organised a ‘tractor rally’ from Bhubaneswar to Cuttack in protest against ‘anti-farmer’ laws adopted by the Narendra Modi Government at the Centre.
The PCC held the rally as part of the ongoing “Kshet Bachao Shobhayatra” being undertaken by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) across the country. Rahul Gandhi had joined the rallies in Punjab and Haryana recently.
The tractor rally began from the Congress Bhawan here and moved via Pratap Nagari to reach the Congress office. AICC general secretary and Odisha in-charge Dr A Chellakumar joining the rally said the rally was orgainsised to protect the interest of farmers and workers on the advice of AICC president Sonia Gandhi. Criticising both the Union and State Governments, PCC president Niranjan Patnaik said the Odisha Government should fix the minimum support price of paddy per quintal at Rs 2,500 in line with the Chhattisgarh Government if it has any concern for the farmers.
He too demanded that the Government should make laws to punish those who would sell or by paddy below Rs 2,500.On the occasion, Dr Chellakumar and Patnaik inaugurated the new Congress office at Cuttack.
Among others, Congress Legislature Party Leader Narasingha Mishra, former PCC president Prasad Harichandan, MP Saptagiri Ulaka, Ramchandra Khuntia, Anant Prasad Sethi, MLAs Suresh Routray and Tara Prasad Bahinipati, Ganeswar Behera, Shibananda Ray, Shubhendu Mohanty, Amiya Patnaik, Rashmi Mohapatra, Janakiballabh Patnaik, Bishwajit Das, Manoranjan Dash, Bandita Parida, Madhushmita Sethy, Kanakalata Mallick, Kusum Pradhan, Shriyasmita Panda, Dipak Sahu, Jayakrushna Subudhi, Rajkishore Barik, MD Sahadulla, Nasir Khan, Sandhyarani Das, Khageshwar Mallick and Swarupa tripathy were present.