BJD accuses UPA of anti-Orissa campaign
The ruling BJD in Orissa on Friday alleged that the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre had launched a “systematic” campaign against it to thwart the ongoing development process.
“The UPA government appears to be quite intolerant of the growing popularity of the BJD. Because of political considerations, the Congress has started stalling mega investment proposals in the state. First, they set aside the forest clearance granted to the `52,000-crore Posco project at Paradip and again they have done the same by refusing forest clearance to the `4,500-crore Vedanta refinery project here,” state finance minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadei said while addressing a large gathering of party workers.
Organised under the leadership of party stalwart and BJD youth wing chief Sanjay Das Burma, the “Save Orissa” meeting saw huge turnout, including people from the primitive Dongaria and Kutia Kondh tribes.
The rally was ostensibly organised to outdo the impact of Rahul Gandhi’s August 27 meeting at Jagannathpur near here where the Congress leader — without mentioning the name of Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL) — said he would not allow the bio-diversity rich Niyamgiri hill would be allowed for mining of bauxite by any industrial houses.
In fact, the state government has committed to VAL to provide bauxite from Niyamgiri Hill. The Congress, however, opposes this arrangement saying that it would endanger the existence of the primitive tribals.
Mr Ghadei and most of the other speakers at the meeting questioned the “real motive” of the All-India Congress Committee general secretary Rahul Gandhi’s recent visit to Lanjigarh and describing himself as the sipahi (soldier) of tribals.
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