Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal President Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday chaired the BJD Parliamentary Party meeting and urged the MPs of the party to fight for the rights and dignity of the 4.5 crore people of Odisha in the forthcoming Budget session of the Parliament.
Naveen also asked the party MPs to strongly raise the demand for Special Category Status for Odisha in the session.
He said that Odisha has been repeatedly affected by natural disasters and must be accorded Special Category State status.
The BJD President highlighted that the BJP had promised in its 2014 Election Manifesto to ensure Special Category Status for Odisha upon coming to power but has failed to fulfill this commitment.
If Odisha cannot be granted Special Category State status, it should at least be recognized as a “Special Focus State” to address the unique challenges faced by the state, Naveen said.
The BJD supremo also urged MPs to raise concerns about rising prices, inflation, and unemployment. He directed the MPs to raise the demand for doubling the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers as per the Swaminathan Commission Report.
He also instructed the MPs to highlight the Polavaram and Mahanadi disputes, accusing the Centre of showing gross step-motherly treatment toward the people of Odisha.
Naveen also asked the party MPs to raise demand for establishing full-fledged AIIMS hospitals in Sambalpur, Koraput, and Balasore.
All BJD MPs present at the meeting expressed their full commitment to fight for the interests of people of Odisha during the Budget session.
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