Baripada: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Baripada January 5, Buiju Janata Dal made a show of its strength at the party office here Friday by organizing a meeting of party workers. The meeting was presided over by president of the north Odisha zone Subramaniam Mohanty.
Deputy speaker of the Assembly Sananda Marandi came down heavily on the opposition parties including BJP.
However, his attendance at the party meeting did not go down well with the opposition parties who accused Marandi of breaking the protocol by attending the party meeting. “Since he is in a constitutional post like Deputy Speaker, he should not have been partisan,” they observed.
At the meeting, Marandi announced that BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will come on a visit to Baripada in the second week of January.
It was reliably learnt that the Chief Minister is likely announce a special package for the district ahead of the 2019 General elections.
BJD leaders like Jitendra Mohanty and Debasish Mohanty took a jibe at the NDA government alleging that the Central government has always neglected Mayurbhanj in the railway sector and followed a discriminatory policy in the provision of funds under BGRF and IAP.
Addressing the party workers, Badasahi MLA Ganeswar Patra drew an analogy between Lord Jaganath and the Chief Minister.
Over 5000 party workers including 100 youth leaders from Baripada constituency gathered at the meeting, which was aimed at showing its strength of base in the district ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit.
PNN