BHUBANESWAR: The Orissa unit of the BJP on Tuesday announced its full support for setting up of the proposed 12 million tonne mega steel plant of POSCO-India in the State's Jagatsinghpur district.

Addressing presspersons at the end of the two-day State executive meeting, president of the party's State unit Suresh Pujari said that the POSCO project, which promises to bring in the country's highest foreign direct investment, should come up in the State.

"We are not against POSCO being set up in Orissa. However, efforts should be made by the government to minimise displacement," Mr. Pujari said.

"The steel project should come up. We don't want to create any bottleneck," he added.

However, there seemed to be difference of opinion in the party ranks with regard to the grant of prospecting licence for Khandadhar iron ore mines in favour of POSCO.

Even as the party's senior leader and Sundargarh MP Jual Oram told reporters earlier in the day that there should be opposition to the handing over of Khandadhar mines to POSCO-India, Mr. Pujari, however, said that the party would not oppose the granting of mining lease to POSCO if the same was done as per the provisions of the relevant laws and rules.

The State Executive, Mr. Pujari said, also emphasised the need for giving priority to development of agriculture. While carrying forward the current industrialisation, the government should take all possible measures for the benefit of farmers, he said.

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