ROURKELA: Eyeing to clinch the prestigious Sundargarh Zilla Parishad (ZP) council, Rajya Sabha member Pyari Mohan Mohapatra made a whirlwind tour of the district attending eight public meetings before wrapping up his visit on Saturday evening. While others counted on the achievements of the Naveen Patnaik Government, Pyari unleashed a focused attack on the step-motherly attitude of the Central Government towards Odisha. At Bileigarh of Rajgangpur Assembly constituency, Pyari spoke about BJD’s relentless efforts to ensure prosperity and self-dependence of the poor families. He said of the total 98 lakh families, 70 lakh continue to be poor and asserted the need to invest Rs 1.5 lakh crore in the five-year plan for poverty eradication. The subsequent governments at the Centre came in for severe criticism for ‘erratic’ mineral policy. Pyari claimed Odisha lost not less than Rs 1 lakh crore in royalty between 2003 and 2009, if it was to be calculated at 20 per cent.He staked State’s claim on 50 per cent revenue in minerals on the lines of agriculture lease rights in which farmland owners receive half the benefit. In such an event, Odisha would rather give assistance to the Centre, he averred. Pyari hoped to win 20 of the 30 ZP seats in the State, thereby the prestigious Sundargarh ZP council. He also denied reports of rift between Rajya Sabha member Mangla Kisan and Minister Sarada Prasad Nayak. Coincidently, Mangla, who did not turn up at the meeting, suddenly landed beside Pyari to save his leader’s blushes. Besides Sarada, WODC Chairperson Padmini Sekhar Deo and RDA chairman Dayanidhi Kisan accompanied him.
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