By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, March 8, 2015 :

Peeved over the ‘step-motherly attitude’ of the Narendra Modi government, the ruling Biju Janata Dal [BJD] in Odisha has decided to oppose the NDA government’s move to get support for the Land Acquisition Bill, which the latter desperately wants to be endorsed by the Rajya Sabha, where it is in minority.

The regional party has already raised objections to many clauses of land acquisition bill. “We had also moved amendments in Lok Sabha. We will do the same in Rajya Sabha,” Bolangir MP Kalikesh Narayan Singhdeo said.

The BJD feels let down by the Modi government with th
e Union Budget presented by finance minister Arun Jaitley heavily loaded against the state’s interests.

Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaikhas instructed his party MPs to follow up various issues relating to Odisha in the Parliament.

“The Union Tribal minister and the Prime Minister have said that Odisha would get Rs one lakh crore under the new provisions in mining while as per our estimate, the state would get Rs 650-700 crore. To whom they will give the remaining Rs 99,500 crore? The fact should be brought to the limelight, the BJD leader in the Lok Sabha, Bhartruhari Mahtab quipped.

Besides, the state government feels taken for granted as it was never consulted before the coal mines in Odisha was put up for auction. Moreover, the union railway ministry also did not bother to reply to the state government’s suggestion of sharing half of the money of the total project cost to complete the Khurda-Bolangir railway connectivity at the earliest.

Bhubaneswar MP Prasanna Patsani said, “We have been repeatedly reminding the Centre of the Khordha-Bolangir railway project for which the state government has completed the land acquisition. Though the state government has made it clear that it would provide half of the money for this project, there is no response from the Centre till date”.