The BJD leaders and supporters on Monday started a hunger strike in front of the block office here and decried the Union Government’s step-motherly attitude to the State and its silence on the demand of special category status (SCS) for Odisha.
“Our party had taken the special category status demand to Delhi. We waited for a month since the Swabhiman Samavesh was held to get a positive response from the UPA Government. But the Centre continues to ignore the genuine demand of the people of the State,” lamented Bhubaneswar north MlA Bhagirathi Badajena, adding that, the party will intensify the agitation by spreading it at the grassroots level, till the fulfillment of the demand.
Notably, as per the decision of the BJD, it would launch symbolic hunger strikes on July 12, 15 and 16 across the State. The party workers at the block, municipality and notified area council (NAC) level will sit on dharna and hunger strike from 10 am to 5 pm demanding the special category status. The protest is part of the party's State-wide campaign against the Congress-led
UPA Government. Many senior party leaders and
workers would participate in the strike.