Amid a politically charged atmosphere in the national capital, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik addressed the much touted Swabhiman Samabesh in Delhi’s Ramilla Maidan on Wednesday flaunting the regional muscle.
He strongly pleaded for the grant of the Special Category Status to the State, ostensibly borrowing a leaf from Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s book.
A 30-member BJD delegation led by Patnaik met President of India Pranab Mukherjee at the Rastrapati Bhawan in the evening and sought his intervention to help Odisha to get the Special State tag. Patnaik submitted a memorandum along with a booklet containing signature of one crore Odia people in support of the demand.
In the rally attended by thousands, Naveen and other BJD stalwarts gave the Central Government a tough warning that the fight had just started and would continue till the just demand is achieved. “Granting Central assistance on political consideration by the UPA at the Center would not be tolerated,” they cautioned.
“The UPA Government has adopted different yardsticks for different States in the distribution of financial resources. Such discriminatory policies based on political motives pose a danger to the country, particularly to our federal structure,” Patnaik said.
In his speech, the BJD president said, “The Centre is even discriminating States, while allocating financial assistance for floods and other natural disasters. Odisha has already made considerable progress and its Human Development Index has improved in recent years. However, we will completely wipe out poverty in next 10 years if Odisha is accorded the Special Category Status by the Centre. It’s not a demand of the BJD only, but of the four crore people belonging to the State.”
Slamming the UPA Government for its anti-Odisha attitude, Patnaik questioned the logic behind ignoring a backward State like Odisha from getting its genuine demand and right of Special Category Status.
With huge density of tribal population, including primitive tribes and difficult terrain, Odisha fulfils all the criteria for availing the Special Status tag, Patnaik said, adding "It has been a very long standing demand of Odisha.”
The State has higher proportion of tribal population, inaccessible areas, higher poverty ratio than some of the States which have been granted the Special Status and 480-km of coast line, which is an international border.
The Centre has so far, however, declined to consider coastline as international border, Patnaik asserted. Patnaik also reiterated the demand that Odisha being a natural resource- rich State deserves an increase in the mineral royalty.
The BJD leaders unleashed their fury against the Union Government for the continuous gross neglect of the State by the Centre. All the top leaders of the BJD, including senior Ministers, MPs, MlAs and other functionaries launched a concerted attack against the Centre for ignoring the State’s legitimate demand. The Ramlila Maidan was chock-a-block with BJD supporters as the leaders launched vociferous attacks against the Centre. The BJD supporters waved flags with enthusiasm as the leaders competed with each other to berate the Centre.
The BJD had left no stones unturned in organizing the rally. All the Ministers except Badri Narayan Patra and lal Bihari Himrika attended it. Nearly 15,000 party workers were ferried in seven special trains to Delhi and an equal number was mobilized from Delhi and surrounding areas.
Many Delhi-based Odia organizations joined hands with the BJD for the success of the rally. While special accommodation facilities were done for 5,000 people at the Ramlila Maidan, others were lodged in 22 dharmasalas across Delhi and adjacent areas. Special transportation facilities had also been done to ferry the BJD workers and supporters to the venue of the rally in Delhi.
However, OJM chief Pyarimohan Mohapara slammed Naveen Patnaik for spending crores of rupees for his political publicity in Delhi in the name of Swaviman rally at a time when he is increasingly getting isolated and insecure in politics.
“A man who could not speak Odia during his 13-year tenure as Chief Minister, is now boasting of Odia Swabhiman in Delhi. What an irony,” lambasted Mohapatra while addressing a public meeting at Brahmapur.
Similarly, State BJP spokesman Samir Mohanty criticized the Chief Minister for his ‘false swaviman’. He said, “The Delhi show is more aimed at political polarization rather than real concern for Odisha.”