The Hindu : Congress `chargesheet' against Orissa coalition

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 26, 2004

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National

Congress `chargesheet' against Orissa coalition

By Prafulla Das

BHUBANESWAR, MARCH 25. The Congress, which has decided to go in for seat adjustments with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Orissa Gana Parishad in the coming Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Orissa, today released a `chargesheet' against the Biju Janata Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party Government.

The Pradesh Congress Committee president, J.B. Patnaik, told presspersons that the BJD-BJP alliance had come to power with the promise of providing an efficient and corruption-free administration. However, it had "cheated the people by its misrule," Mr. Patnaik said.

The party blamed the Government for its "failure" to check corruption at different levels of administration and to solve the problem of distress sale of paddy that affected the interests of the farming community. The coalition government had also failed to utilise the funds released for various welfare programmes in the KBK (Kalahandi, Bolangir and Koraput) region as well as the food-for-work scheme and the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.

The 11-page chargesheet alleged that the BJD-BJP committed large-scale irregularities in the granting of mining leases to various private companies. The Government had also failed to fulfil its promises of providing employment to the people, increasing irrigation cover in the State and setting up a Commission for the Minorities and special courts for faster disposal of corruption cases, it said.

The PCC chief alleged that the BJD and the BJP alliance had proved to be an "unprincipled opportunist coalition." The State's development was never in the minds of the leaders of both the parties who were in the Government during the past four years, he said.

He said the party had decided to give the Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat to the JMM. Besides, the JMM would be given five Assembly seats — three in Mayurbhanj district and two in Sundargarh. The party was also holding discussions with the Communist Party of India for sharing some Assembly seats.

The Orissa Gana Parishad had been given the Patkura, Balasore, Kendrapara and Koksara Assembly seats. Besides, the CPI(M) had been given three Assembly seats — Nilagiri, Banei and Baisingha.

The party has so far announced the names of its candidates for as many as 99 Assembly seats and 16 Lok Sabha seats. The final list would be released on March 27, Mr. Patnaik said.

The list of 99 candidates, released by the AICC in New Delhi on Wednesday night, included the names of the former Union Minister, K.C. Lenka, the former Chief Minister, Hemananda Biswal, and the Rajya Sabha MP, Ramachandra Khuntia.

The Congress has also given ticket to the Biju Janata Dal rebels and some former leaders of the Orissa Gana Parishad who had joined the party recently. The names of the former BJD leaders in the list include Nalinikanta Mohanty for Rajnagar Assembly seat, Kumudini Patnaik for Kodala seat and Kamala Das for Bhograi segment. The former OGP leaders whose names figured in the list are Narasingha Mishra for Loisingha seat and Nrusingha Sahu for Pallahara segment.

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