The pitched battle between the Congress led UPA government at the Centre and the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) of Orissa over the controversial Polavaram project and the cancellation of forest clearance to Vedanta Aluminium, has intensified with the BJD turning the heat on the Centre.
Accusing the Centre of stalling big ticket investment projects in Orissa like Vedanta, the youth wing of the BJD,has planned to hold a massive rally at Lanjigarh on Friday to demonstrate its opposition against what it termed as the 'anti-industrialization drive” of the Centre against the state.
The BJD has also decided to hold a rally at Malkangiri soon to showcase its stiff opposition to the Polavaram project, said Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, senior BJD leader and one of the closest aides of the state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
The BJD's game plan is to woo the locals in the tribal belt and counter the political mileage supposedly gained by Rahul Gandhi, general secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) during his address to a congregation of tribals at Lanjigarh on August 26.Though the state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who was originally supposed to lead the rally has backed out, senior ministers like industries minister Raghunath Mohanty; finance minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadai and minister for health and family welfare Prasanna Acharya are set to participate in the rally in a show of strength of the ruling party.
“We will protest the Centre's move to stall industrial progress in the state”, said Sanjay Dasburma, president of the BJD youth wing.
The ruling BJD is sore over the Centre's decision to reject the Stage-II forest clearance for bauxite mining by Vedanta Aluminium at Niyamgiri hills and according national status to the Polavaram project.
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Meanwhile, the Opposition Congress in the state has taken exception to the BJD's planned rally at Lanjigarh, terming it 'politically motivated”.
The youth Congress has decided to hold a parallel protest on Thursday in front of the office of the Kalahandi district collector.