BJD plans huge rally to counter opposition plan

By Ratikant Mohanty
Bhubaneswar, Dec. 25: Apparently perturbed over the opposition Congress and NCP's effort to make political capital out of the rising discontentment farmers against the allocation of Hirakud reservoir water to industries, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has decided organise a massive rally in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

According to party insiders, at least Rs 10 crore has been earmarked to be spent for the success of rally. Each of the BJD legislators has been asked to bring not less than 10,000 people on their own expenses.

Besides, the party has booked a few trains for carrying people to the capital from distant areas like Nuapara and Koraput.

All open grounds in the city have been taken into possession by the BJD leaders and temporary rest-sheds have been erected in those places to accommodate and serve food to rally comers.

Senior BJD ministers Prafulla Chandra Ghadei, A.U. Singhdeo, Suryanarayan Patra and Surendranath Nayak have been asked by the party president Naveen Patnaik to ensure proper arrangements at Capital High School ground, the venue for the rally.

Party sources said industrial houses have been asked to provide vehicles on their own cost to send people to the rally from their respective areas.

The prices of vegetables and other essential food stuff in Bhubaneswar skyrocketed on Tuesday because of the total lifting of the said commodities by the BJD leaders.

"We hope around five lakh people will assemble in the rally. With this, we will launch our statewide awareness campaign about the progress achieved by the Naveen Patnaik government in the last years of the BJD-BJP rule," party general secretary Narendra Swain said.

Mr Swain, however, refused to disclose about the total budget for the rally.