Congress calls Odisha's BJD government 'anti-tribal'

MALKANGIRI: Charging Odisha's BJD government with taking repressive steps against 'innocent' tribals in Malkangiri, Congress today said the administration had prevented the community members to attend a public meeting.

"In a democracy everyone has the right to participate in public meetings. But the BJD government, with help of police, tarred innocent tribals with Maoist slur and prevented them from attending the public meeting at Malkangiri today", Odisha PCC chief Jayadev Jena said.

Thousands of Congress supporters were prevented from reaching the meeting venue at DNK ground by the police with the pretext of not having identity cards, he said.

AICC in-charge for Odisha B K Hariprasad, AICC Secretary Subhankar Sarkar and local MP Pradip Majhi said that people would teach a lesson to the government in the next elections.

Considering that Malkangiri is a tribal-dominated and Maoist-prone district, the Centre was giving crores of rupees for its development inclduing health education, health, rural development, sanitation, rural development and road connectivity but the government was unable to utilise, Hariprasad said.