Congress to hold 'Save Constitution' rallies across Odisha for over a month

Bhubaneswar, Apr 25 (PTI) The opposition Congress in Odisha on Friday announced that it would organise 'Samvidhan Bachao' (save the Constitution) rallies across the state from April 28 to May 30.

Addressing a press conference, state Congress in-charge Ajay Kumar Lallu said a series of rallies will be organised at the district, division and assembly segment levels to seek "social, political and economic justice".

The state-level 'Samvidhan Bachao' rally will be held in Bhubaneswar on April 28, followed by district-level rallies from May 3 to 10, he said.

The campaign would then move to the assembly level, between May 11 and 17, he added.

Lallu said the final phase will involve door-to-door campaigns from May 20 to 30.

He alleged that as Rahul Gandhi has been demanding a caste census to ensure that the rights of SCs, STs and OBCs are protected, the Centre has framed him and his mother Sonia Gandhi in the "fabricated" National Herald case to divert people's attention.

"Though the total OBC population of Odisha is 54 per cent, they are getting only 11.25 per cent reservation in government jobs and no reservation in education," he claimed.

"Even though Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan belongs to Odisha and he is an OBC, the OBC students are not getting any reservation in education here," he said.

Lallu said the rallies have been organised to make people aware of "threat to the Constitution" under the BJP-led government at the Centre.

Congress Legislature Party leader Rama Chandra Kadam, who was present at the press conference, slammed the BJP government for not implementing the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act, 1996, in the state. PTI BBM BBM SOM

Source: PTI