Newly-appointed Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Sarat Pattanayak has asserted that similar to the Congress’ victory in the Assembly elections in 1995, the party would increase its present tally of nine seats to at least 90 in the 2024 polls and stage a comeback to power.
Replying to a reception accorded to him by party leaders and workers here on Friday, Pattanayak targeted the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD Government on the unemployment and farmer issues in the State.
He said that as per the BJD Government’s promise of providing two lakh jobs in a year, there should have been 44 lakh jobs during the last 22 years of its rule, but as on the date 64 lakh youths in the State are unemployed.
Pattanayak said the BJD Government had promised doubling of farmers’ income in 2004, but ultimately farmers are facing distress sale as paddy procurement has become a mess and Rabi crops are being sold outside the State. The Central Government has pointed out that the income of farmers in Odisha is the lowest in the country.
He termed the BJD Government as a regime of false promises and deceptions. The State is witnessing mushrooming of liquor outlets and rising crimes against women and children.
He called upon Congress workers for a united fight against the forces of communal hate mongers and fascists who have betrayed the people making false promises.
He said the State Congress would take the fight to all 314 blocks and join the all-India Padayatra of the AICC to further the campaign against the price rise, unemployment, betrayal of farmers and labourers and against the attempt for communal polarisation.
Pattanayak announced that once the Congress comes to power, its Government would abolish the contract labour system, provide at least 200 units of free electricity to each household, purchase all crops at the Minimum Support Price and prioritise irrigation and health and education.
He promised that youth representatives would be given priorities in the party organisation and would be considered as candidates for the 2024 elections.
Earlier in the day thousands of Congress workers gave a rousing welcome to Pattanayak at the airport here on his return from Delhi and took him to the Congress Bhawan in a procession.
The reception meeting was attended by AICC Odisha in-charge Dr A Chella Kumar and secretary G Rudra Raju, former PCC presidents Niranjan Patnaik, Jayadev Jena and Prasad Harichandan, Koraput MP Saptagiri Ulaka, party MLAs and other senior leaders.