Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Sept 28: With the Opposition Congress set to counter the ruling BJD’s padayatra slated for October 2 by deciding to organise a similar padayatra the same day, top BJD leaders Monday held a high-level meeting to discuss plans to make the party’s campaign a grand success.
Reiterating his earlier words, Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik, who chaired the meeting at the party headquarters here, said his party was committed to protect the interests of the state and would not tolerate any discrimination by the central government.
Addressing his party colleagues appointed as observers for the nine-day-long Jana Sampark Padayatra, Patnaik said the BJD activists should tell the state’s people during the campaign how in spite of the cuts in the central fund and closure of some welfare schemes by the central government, the state government is implementing the schemes from its own resources for the development and empowerment of people.
As many as 121 party observers attended the preparatory meeting for the padayatra, which will commence October 2 and continue till October 11. The observers were also asked to highlight the nine resolutions the party had approved during its executive board meeting last week. While the resolutions lay emphasis on highlighting central apathy to the state, they also focus on implementation of the party’s election manifesto and celebration of the birth centenary of legendary leader and former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik March 5 next year.
Significantly, the ruling party, in its bid to ensure wide publicity for the event, also decided to use social media to connect with the people. A few hours after the meeting with the observers, BJD took on the Centre on micro-blogging site twitter for not making provision of rice to tribal hostel dwellers under the proposed National Food Security Act, slicing funds under major schemes and not granting funds for establishment of model schools in the state.
