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Congress launches tirade against government

CUTTACK: After ruling BJD’s week-long agitation against the Union government for price rise, the Opposition Congress party has launched its tirade against the Naveen Patnaik government in the State. As part of the Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee’s (OPCC) State-wide ‘jail bharo’ call, thousands of party activists court arrest after demonstrating in front of the central range Revenue Divisional Commission (RDC) office here on Friday.

The State PCC had given the State-wide call in protest against deteriorating law and order situation in the State and mis-utilisation of Central funds by the State government. Similar demonstrations would be held at southern range RDC’s office on June 27 and northern range RDC’s office in Sambalpur on July 1, PCC sources said.

Joined by the AICC general secretary Ajay Maken, Orissa coordinator Pawan Singh Ghatwal, AICC secretary K.Suresh and hosts of State leaders, more than 30,000 party workers from all the 10 districts coming under the central range RDC gathered in the city since morning. The city Congress chief Suresh Mohapatra was overlooking the entire arrangements of today’s rally and protest meeting.

In a massive rally, the Congress workers snaked their way through the narrow lanes and by-lanes of the city shouting anti-Naveen Patnaik and anti-BJD-BJP slogans.

The State leaders including PCC chief Jaydev Jena, former chief minister J.B.Patnaik, former MP Jayanti Patnaik, Rajya Sabha member R.C.Khuntia, former ministers Suresh Routray, Niranjan Patnaik, Kanhu Lenka and several other State Congress leaders were seen in the rally accompanied by their supporters.

At a protest meeting held at Naya Sarak, close to RDC’s office, the Congress leaders spate venom against the ruling BJD-BJP combine in the State.

The speakers mainly targeted the Chief Minister alleging that the law and order situation in the State has touched its nadir for the “inept” and “incompetent” ruling of Naveen Patnaik.

Later, the spirited party workers stormed at the RDC’s office breaking the two barricades erected by the city police on the road leading to their destination.

They gheraoed the RDC office for about 15 minutes during which few agitated workers pelted stones and bricks damaging few window glass panes of the RDC office. They also burnt an effigy of Mr. Patnaik on the spot before being courted arrest.

Thanks to massive police bandobast, the Congress demonstration in the city went off without any major untoward incident reported from anywhere.

However, the city commuters had a torrid time as road traffic at many places had been disrupted due to the rally and parking of hundreds of vehicles requisitioned by the Congress workers.

Even as the Opposition Congress party in the State might be thinking of winning many brownie points by organising such a massive rally and demonstration at Cuttack, the infighting in the party came to the fore on Friday.

While many posters and banners were erected at many places in the city, there were few posters which were directed against the PCC chief Jaydev Jena.

One such poster very vividly read “Jayadev Hatao, Congress Bachao” (Remove Jayadev and save Congress).

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