BJD calls 'hartal' on Apr 26

Apparently fearing legal hassles, ruling BJD clarified today that it has called for a 12-hour hartal in Odisha on April 26 against the Centre's "step motherly" attitude towards the state and not a bandh.
"As there is some legal problem associated with the word bandh, we have opted for hartal on April 26 to protest central negligence towards Odisha," BJD vice-president and Panchayati Raj Minister Kalpataru Das said.
Power, drinking water supply, health service, exams in schools and colleges have been kept out of the of the purview of the proposed 'hartal', Das said.
The BJD leadership in an urgent meeting also decided to delete word 'bandh' from posters and leaflets meant for distribution among the people, party sources said.

"We have given a call for the peaceful hartal. No one will be forced to close shops or ply buses. The party urges upon people to make the hartal against UPA government's negligence a success," a BJD release said.
BJD's decision on the 'hartal' came after a threat from Utkal Bharat, a fringe political party in the state. The party had earlier filed a case against the Odisha government challenging the ruling party's call for a bandh in 2010.

"How can the ministers give call for a bandh?" Utkal Bharat state president Kharvel Swain asked.
The 'hartal' would be restricted to only three hours in respect of the Railways sector, party sources said.

BJD said Odisha's poverty stricken Kalahandi Balangir Koraput (KBK) region was allocated only Rs 1,000 crore during the 12th Plan, while Rs 12,000 crore and Rs 4,400 crore had been given for Bihar and Bundelkhand area of Uttar Pradesh.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had alleged that the Centre had allocated funds under the Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF) on political considerations.