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Bypoll result against loot of resources: Lok Shakti Abhiyan

— Photo: Ashoke Chakrabarty

Well done!: OPCC president Jaydev Jena and Congress leader Janaki Ballav Patnaik greeting Purna Chandra Majhi, newly-elected MLA of Congress from Laxmipur in Bubaneswar on Friday.

BERHAMPUR: Social activists cautioned the Congress against being too overwhelmed by its victory in the byelection for the Laxmipur Assembly seat.

The Laxmipur verdict was a mandate of the common man against loot of natural resources and promotion of anti-people industries by the State machinery, said Praful Samantra, convenor of the Lok Shakti Abhiyan. According to him the ruling BJD was identified with the private alumina company by the voters of the area.

It may be noted that for more than one and a half months dharna of anti-alumina project activists has been continuing near Kucheipadar of Kashipur block of Rayagada district. Kashipur block forms a major portion of the Laxmipur constituency. Anti-alumina agitation by the people’s organisation, Prakrutika Sampada Surakhya Parishad is continuing in the area. They are opposed to leasing of hills in Kashipur block and Laxmipur block for alumina mining.

Recent win should be an eye opener for the BJD, Congress, BJP and all other political parties in the State, he said. According to him even the Congress camp had lost hopes of winning the Laxmipur byelection. But the verdict was different. People defeated BJD only because it represented anti-people economic policies based on displacement and atrocities of locals living at grassroot level. “The Congress should rather learn from it and make its stance clear at least in the case of proposed Posco project in Orissa as it seems the central unit of the party supports the project and the State unit is opposing it for name sake,” he said.

Social activists opposed to exploitation of natural resources in Orissa at the cost of livelihood of common mass and environment have come together in the State to form a forum ‘Bikalpa Bikash O Bikalpa Rajaniti Janabadi Andolan’. This group would continue to build up public awareness against exploitive industrial policies. It would be against any political party including the Congress that has similar interest and policies, said Mr Samantra.

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