The Odisha Congress announced on Friday that it will hold “Samvidhan Bachao Divas” (Save Constitution) events across the state from May 3 to May 30.
A state-level “Samvidhan Banchao Divas” will take place in Bhubaneswar on April 28. From May 3 to May 10, the program will be conducted in every district of Odisha. Between May 11 and May 17, events will be observed in every Assembly constituency. Finally, from May 20 to May 30, Congress workers will go door-to-door in every village to raise awareness about people’s rights and rightful demands during the “Samvidhan Banchao Divas.”
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President Bhakta Charan Das, along with State In-Charge Ajay Kumar Lallu, Leader of the Legislative Party Ramachandra Kadam, and former MLA Santosh Singh Saluja, announced that “Samvidhan Banchao Divas” will be observed throughout Odisha, from the capital to rural areas. This initiative aims to promote social, political, and economic justice, as well as highlight people’s rightful demands and rights.
Das criticised the BJP, claiming that due to its conspiracies, lands, forests, and rights of ordinary tribals in districts like Mayurbhanj are being handed over to various companies. He stated that the Congress party would launch a comprehensive agitation against the BJP government’s actions.
He emphasised that under the Odisha Forest Act, tribals are entitled to have land records in their names, and condemned the BJP government for its actions aimed at absorbing tribal lands. He expressed disappointment that, despite the Honourable President of India being from Mayurbhanj, tribals in that area continue to face injustice and discrimination. Das also pointed out the ongoing violence and atrocities against women in Odisha, attributing them to the BJP government’s indifference.
He noted that from the streets to Parliament, the Indian National Congress, led by the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and former Congress President Rahul Gandhi, is advocating for a caste-based census and the rightful demands of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and OBC communities. He asserted that the Modi government’s malicious tactics aimed at harassing leaders like Rahul Gandhi would not succeed.
Ajay Kumar Lallu, Congress in-charge for Odisha, remarked that the Congress Party, along with Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, is fighting tirelessly for the rights of Dalits, tribals, and OBCs across Odisha and the country. He claimed that the Modi government’s vindictive attempts to target Rahul Gandhi with false ED cases would ultimately fail in silencing him.
Lallu accused both the previous BJD government and the current BJP government in Odisha of neglecting Dalits, tribals, and OBCs. He pointed out that while OBCs constitute 54% of Odisha’s population, only 11.25% are employed. According to the Mandal Commission’s recommendation, OBCs should receive 27% reservation, yet they enjoy significantly less, with no reservation in education. He further highlighted that Dalits and tribals, who make up 40% of the population, have only 38.75% reservation in employment.
During the Congress government’s tenure in Odisha, OBCs had 27% reservation, but this was scrapped by the BJD government after 2007. Lallu claimed that even now, under the BJP’s “double-engine” government, OBCs continue to face injustice. In contrast, he mentioned that Telangana, with a 52% OBC population, provides 40% reservation, and Karnataka, with a similar percentage, offers 32% reservation in education.
Lallu believed that Rahul Gandhi’s call for social justice has provoked vindictive actions from the Modi government, but he expressed confidence that people from all sections of society would respond strongly.
Legislative Party Leader Ramachandra Kadam stated that tribals in Odisha feel completely insecure under the BJP’s “double-engine” government. He alleged that although the PESA Act has been implemented in several states, the BJP government in Odisha deliberately refuses to enforce it. Kadam pointed out that Odisha, being the second-most tribal-populated state in India, has not adopted the PESA Act, and the Congress will raise this issue in every village and Assembly while opposing the handover of forests, land, and people’s rights to Adani.
He criticised the Chief Minister, who is tribal, for failing to take steps to protect tribal interests. Kadam alleged that in Mayurbhanj’s Rairangpur, the construction of an airstrip by Adani without consulting Gram Sabhas, which displaces tribal homes and transfers forest land to companies, is completely illegal. He announced that Congress would initiate an agitation in the region against governmental actions harming tribals and would undertake grassroots programs to protect their interests.
