BJD infighting will help Congress

With the Biju Janata Dal still grappling with intra-party crisis, the State Congress is busy re-building its base so as to prepare for the next phase of fight in the urban polls as well as the 2014 elections. The long drawn wrangling and the fear factor that has gripped the BJD has come as a boon for the Congress to set the agenda for Mission 2014. 

The BJD had won the last three elections and had swept the 2009 Assembly polls. However, the situation has undergone a drastic change following the abortive attempt to dethrone Naveen Patnaik on May 29. With party’s star strategist, suspended Rajya Sabha member Pyarimohan Mohapatra, now out of the centrestage, observers believe 2014 will be a tough game for Naveen.

The State executive of the Congress met here on Friday to identify issues to prepare the ground to fight the BJD in the 2014 elections. The rapidly deteriorating law and order situation, neglect of the agriculture sector and the Government getting involved in a number of scams were discussed at the meeting.

Criticising the Government for its failure to tackle the law and order situation, which has deteriorated, the State executive resolved to go to the streets in the coming days over the issue. The State Government has also failed to protect the interest of the farmers as a result of which there has been a large number of suicides by them during the last couple of years, the resolution said.

State Congress president Niranjan Patnaik announced that the party will launch an agitation against the Naveen Patnaik Government from the panchayat level.

He said the Congress workers will agitate against the manner in which the electricity distribution companies are exploiting the consumers.

Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh said the Congress should expose the infighting in the BJD and make people aware that how the Chief Minister, who is involved in several scams, is trying to shift the blame to others.

The political resolution, moved by party whip in the Assembly Prasad Harichandan, alleged that the Chief Minister is completely responsible for the Polavaram dam project as the Andhra Pradesh Government is going ahead with the project unilaterally.

The resolution on law and order was moved by former minister Ganeswar Behera, where the State Government was criticised for the growing atrocities against the Dalits.

 Former Speaker of the Assembly Sarat Kar, former MP Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, former minister Ramakrushna Patnaik, Suresh Kumar Routray and several other senior leaders addressed the meeting and supported the proposal to launch a Statewide agitation against the Government.