Bhubaneswar: In a renewed attack on ruling BJD, Congress leaders on Sunday pulled up Naveen's government over labour migration while mentioning about its failure to ensure jobs to people of the state.
Congress state in-charge B K Hariprasad at a public meeting in Malkangiri came down heavily on the state government and questioned on its claims of progress and development.
"If people from this state are migrating to Gujarat and Karnataka for jobs, the BJD government is busy in taking credit for what kind of development in the state?" Hariprasad questioned at the meeting.
He added the Odisha government was misguiding people by saying the Centre-sponsored schemes as its own.
Similarly, PCC president Jayadev Jena left no chance in making allegations against the district administration while addressing the rally.
"The BJD government is targeting innocent tribal people after branding them as Maoists. Our party would definitely protest against these atrocities," Jena said emphatically.
AICC Secretary Subhankar Sarkar and Congress MP Pradip Majhi said that people would teach a lesson to the government in the next elections.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik questioned the Centre as to why Odisha was not being accorded special category status ignoring its long standing demand while the same was given to newly-created Seemandhra.
"We have been demanding for special category status to Odisha for a long time. The Centre ignored our demand on the plea that the state does not meet required criteria. In which criteria has Seemandhra been accorded the same status?" Patnaik asked during a public meet at Chhatrapur near here.
Patnaik appealed to the people to intensify their protest against Centre's "discriminatory and apathetic attitude" towards Odisha.