The Maha Samabesh (grand public meeting) organized by Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Berhampur today virtually turned into a platform for bashing Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, one-time close confidante of Naveen Patnaik and now an adversary, with speakers led by chief minister launching scathing attacks on him for his role to engineer a coup against Patnaik in May this year.
“Some people are trying to stab me from the back and trying to kill the democracy. By doing so they are hindering the process of development in the state,” Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said while addressing the Maha Samabesh without taking the name of Mohapatra, a sitting Rajya Sabha MP.
The Samabesh, according to political observers, was organised to counter the unveiling of Odisha Jan Morcha (OJM), a forum floated by Mohapatra at a media conference in Bhubaneswar today. Though Mohapatra was suspended from the party on June 1 for his alleged anti-party activities, he claims OJM to be a part of BJD with a mandate to bring reforms in the party.
While Patnaik, for the first time after the May 29 failed coup, attacked Mohapatra- albeit indirectly - in a public meeting, the other speakers at the meeting, including his cabinet ministers, MPs and MLAs were more blunt in their criticism of Mohapatra, a former bureaucrat-turned-politician, describing him as “Bibhisana” in Ramayana.
“Who is with me or not is immaterial for me, but the four crore Odia people are important for me,” BJD chief said. “I may be in the power or not, but I will continue to work for the people of the state. I will work to achieve the dreams of Biju Babu (former chief minister) till the end of my life,” he said emotionally.
Patnaik also flayed the Central government for undermining the interest of Odisha. “The Central government has provided special packages to the Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh for political benefits. Odisha is deprived of it. Is it not neglect of the state,” chief minister questioned.
He said, while the Railways is collecting Rs 8,000-crore revenue from the state, it is allocating a meagre amount for development of rail network. Similarly, the Center has ignored the state’s claim for higher mining royalty, he added
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Coming down heavily on the Congress, Patnaik said, the party has become synonymous with corruption. “Everyday a new page of corruption is added to its list of scams”.
He also referred to the price rise of the essential commodities, capping of the subsidised LPG cylinders and price rise of the fertilisers describing them as anti-people steps of the Centre.
He listed out various state-sponsored welfare programmes such as the Biju KBK Yojana, Biju Kandhamal-Gajapati Yojana, Biju Setu Yojana, Biju Saharanchal Yojana, Mamata Yojana and rice at Rs 2 per kg to poor families to emphasise on the pro-poor stand of his government.
He said the government was planning to create at least 10,00,000 employment opportunities in the next five years through the skill development programme.
Among others at least three cabinet ministers including revenue minister SN Patra, rural development minister Bikram Keshari Arukh and women and child development minister Usha Devi, party's five MPs and eight MLAs, mostly from Ganjam district addressed the meeting.