Baripada: Even as the preparations for the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Baripada have reached the last stage, the BJP is leaving no stones unturned to make the programme a success. The saffron leaders have planned to gather nearly 1.5 lakh party workers from the party’s five organisational districts.
Meanwhile, the BJD claimed that the PM’s will have no impact on the ruling party in the state. Modi’s visit to Baripada is slated January 5. An official porogramme will be held at Chou Ground.
“The Prime Minister will come to Baripada with a basketful of projects and programmes for development of eastern Odisha,” said Golak Mohapatra, the BJP’s spokesperson.
Briefing on the schedule of the meeting, Mohapatra said the PM will land in Baripada in a helicopter after a meeting at Jharkhand.
He said the Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay foundation stones for a host of welfare schemes to be funded by the petroleum, oil and natural gas ministry, Union surface and transport ministry, the railways and the ministry of culture in Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Keonjhar and Jajpur districts.
Mohapatra asserted that about 1.5 lakh party workers from Mayurbhanj, Rairangpur, Bhadrak, Balasore and Keonjhar will attend the meeting
He will lay the foundation stone for restoration and repair of archeological remains at Haripugad, the ancient capital of Mayurbhanj princely state.
Other projects included Balasore-Haldia-Durgapur pipeline for petroleum supply to Odisha, doubling of Chilikdara-Sagadapata and Nararanpur-Basantpur railway line, launching of Tata Nagar-Badampahad train service, launching of passport service at post offices in Bhadrak, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Cuttack and Aska, Mohapatra said. .
It may be noted here that Union petroleum, oil and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan during a review meeting on the preparation of the prgrammme, had urged party workers to make the function a grand success.
When asked about it, Mohapatra said the party workers work in tandem while the BJD has been faction-ridden.
Mohapatra cited the vandalism by party workers in the party office December 31 night. “BJP is a disciplined party. Usually, the state leadership consults with the district level leadership whenever a situation arises,” he pointed out.
Taking a dig at the BJD, Mohapatra said the BJD in Mayurbhanj is politically senseless and a former minister was tasked to man the BJD while the government does not want development of Mayurbhanj.
Factionalism in the district unit of the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal came to the fore Monday when a group of youths stormed into the Biju Bhawan and vandalised assets there when people were celebrating the eve of New Year.
Abhay Singh, the general secretary of Zilla Biju Chhatra Janata Dal, suspended Debajit Patnaik on the grounds of committing violence.
However, executive president of the BJD’s district unit, Debashish Mohanty said the PM’s visit will in no way affect the BJD’s poll prospects in the district. “The benefits of the welfare programmes of the state government reach the grassroots level,” he added.
PNN
