Naveen acting as caretaker of industrial houses- SP

Sambalpur, June 19 (UNI) Samajwadi Party national secretary Ompal Singh today came down heavily on the Naveen Patnaik government in Orissa for protecting the ''interest of industrialists''.

Mr Singh, who was here to attend the party's state conference, told reporters that the BJD-BJP coalition government headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was acting as a caretaker of industrialists of the country.

Describing the state government as a ''good contractor for the business house,'' Mr Singh said nowhere in the country was land so easily available for industrial houses as in Orissa.

He alleged government machineries were pressurised to act in favour of the industrial houses 'ignoring the plea of' the tribals and 'poor people'.

Citing the Kalinga Nagar incident, the SP leader said while allotting land to the industrial houses, the government did not bother to look into the grievances of the local tribals resulting in an unpleasant situation in which 13 tribals were killed in police firing.

Reacting to the ban on the Maoists by the Orissa government, Mr Singh said ''terrorism could be solved if the rights of the poor people and common citizens'' were protected.

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