RailEnquiry

Union Minister for Tribal Affairs V K Deo’s demand to shift the zonal headquarters of East Coast Railway (ECoR) from here to Visakhapatanam has evoked sharp protests from political parties with the ruling BJD announcing a series of agitations.Terming Deo’s statement as a conspiracy against Odisha, Finance Minister Prasanna Acharya on Wednesday said, “I can’t understand what was the need for such a proposal.We strongly condemn it and we will vehemently oppose it if the Centre moves ahead with the idea.” Health and Family Welfare Minister Damodar Rout said the proposal of the Union minister is absurd and it could be only expressed by narrow-minded politicians who are interested in the next elections. A statesman cannot imagine this, he remarked. 

BJD youth wing president and deputy chief whip Sanjay Dasburma, MLA, announced that the party workers and supporters will hold a peaceful one-hour agitation at all railway stations in the State from September 12 to 14.

The people of Odisha will not tolerate such an idea of Deo as they have got the ECoR after a long struggle, he said.  “This is a conspiracy of the BJD and the Congress who have a tacit understanding to raise frivolous issues to divert people’s attention from serious matters,” BJP spokesperson Sajjan Sharma said.  State Secretary of CPI Dibakar Nayak said this is an attempt by Deo to foment distrust among the people of Odisha and West Bengal.

Trying to play down the issue, senior Congress leader Narsingh Mishra said it is Deo’s personal opinion. He is neither the spokesperson for the AICC nor the Government of India. The Pradesh Congress will not be silent spectator whenever the interest of the State is affected. 

“The Union minister has taken a stand in  the interest of the State, but we stand for the people of Odisha,” Mishra said.  Deo, in a recent letter to A K Antony- headed committee, which is looking into the demand for zonal headquarters of Indian Railways, has suggested to shift the headquarters of ECoR to Visakhapatnam.