Ahead of Delhi rally, BJD pitches for Third Front

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) today advocated for a possible alliance dubbed as Third Front to lead the country after 2014 general elections ahead of its show of strength at Ram Leela Maidan in New Delhi tomorrow demanding special category status to Odisha.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who described Narendra Modi as unacceptable and Rahul Gandhi as a person with track record of dismal performance in Uttar Pradesh polls, said Third Front seems more feasible.

"I believe at this time Third Front looks like a better option (to rule the country), but it is still early to talk about these things," he told a private news channel at New Delhi while answering questions about recent turmoil in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

He said, Narendra Modi magic is limited to Gujarat only and hence, the BJP is not in a position to get single largest majority in the upcoming polls.

"Besides, there is negative feeling among minorities after Gujarat riot and hence he (Modi) is unacceptable," said Patnaik, who had alliance with BJP between 2004 and 2009.

The BJD is trying to raise its voice at the national capital to highlight the Centre's apathy towards the demand for grant of special category status to the state, especially after Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia rejected the proposal saying that Odisha does not meet the requisite criteria. The party has collected one crore signatures which will be submitted to the President after the Ram Leela meeting.

Though the demand for special category status to Odisha is not new, the party made it a prestige issue after the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar was awarded Rs 12,000 crore under the Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF) scheme for the 12th Plan period, much higher than Rs 1,250 crore allocated to Odisha. The party is trying to showcase the sharp difference in fund allocation as political discrimination.

Many BJD insiders say, besides political discrimination agenda, it was Nitish Kumar's rise in central politics that has miffed the party leadership which has organised this grand event at Delhi to enhance Naveen's stature in national stage. However, the party today rejected any such idea behind the large gathering at New Delhi on Tuesday.

"We are not in competition with any party or state to get the status. We are demanding what we are entitled to get, especially after a parliamentary committee suggested granting special category status to Odisha. We are here to fight the injustice, we are not in a race," said Baijayant Panda, BJD MP from Kendrapada at a press meet today.