Finding its government in a tight spot in the wake of rising cases of farmer suicides, the ruling Biju Janata Dal seems to have adopted defensive posture against the Opposition.
When the opposition Congress organised a padyatra in Salipur in Cuttack district as part of its Jana Jagaran Yatra on Saturday, the BJD roped in some dissident block level Congress workers from that area to show that its image had not been affected in any manner. A group of local Congress leaders from Salipur met the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at his residence here.
The seven-km long padyatra by the Congress from Manoharpur to Salipur was attended by party supporters and farmers. The rally culminated in a public meeting where senior Congress leaders held the BJD government responsible for the spate of farmer suicides in the State since September. Many senior party leaders joined PCC president Prasad Harichandan in the padyatra and addressed the gathering criticising Chief Minister. Saturday’s was the third phase of the Jana Jagaran padyatra. The party had organised the first two phases of the padyatra at Angul and Dhenkanal, and Nuapada and Nabarangpur.
The BJD had also organised a rally in Bargarh district a few days ago in western Odisha where more farmers had taken the extreme step.
