Former Member of Parliament and chairman of voluntary organisation Ama Odisha Soumya Ranjan Patnaik on Monday stressed the need for a Statewide movement to create a political alternative that can replace the BJD government.
Addressing a rally organised under the banner of Ama Odisha at Birmaharajpur in Subarnapur district, Mr. Patnaik held the BJD government responsible for its poor governance and anti-people policies that had kept the State the most backward in the country.
The Ama Odisha leader also criticised the Naveen Patnaik government for its failure to contain the rising number of crimes against women.
Mr. Patnaik, who had been expelled from Congress on October 1 for anti-party activities, also criticised the Congress by saying that it was suffering from factionalism.
The expelled leader justified his decision to convert Ama Odisha into a political party and expressed hope that the rally at Birmaharajpur would mark the beginning of a major change in the State.
Mr. Patnaik said he had chosen Birmaharajpur as the venue for the launch of his campaign for a viable political alternative because it was there he started his Sankalp Samavesh campaign to strengthen the Congress in the State.
He was expelled from Congress after he organised a series of such meetings in different parts of the State.
Mr. Patnaik called upon the people to join the movement for creating a political alternative in the State.
Although many local Congress leaders took part in the rally, no prominent Congress leader of the State attended the meeting.
