Congress to observe Orissa bandh on September 10

Bhubaneswar, Sep 01 (UNI) Holding the Orissa chief minister responsible for the 'total collapse' of the administration the main Opposition Congress today called for an Orissa bandh on September 10.

AICC General Secretary V Narayan Swami,also in charge of Orissa, told newsmen here that the Naveen Patnaik government had become 'non performing' and 'lost' the moral right to govern following largescale cholera deaths in the tribal districts.

The government,he alleged, had miserably failed to control the disease which had assumed an epidemic form claiming more than 400 lives in undivided Koraput district and spreading to the neighbouring districts.

Mr Swami said the Centre was prepared to send a medical team and medicines but the chief minister was yet to respond to the request.

He said it was more shocking that the administration had 'totally failed' to contain cholera deaths in the tribal districts of Rayagada, Koraput and Kalahandi where the people were even deprived of their wages for eight months under the National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme.

Stating that the chief minister and the health minister were to be blamed for the 'dangerous' situation prevailing in the tribal districts, Mr Swami said the Naveen Patnaik government should go.

The AICC general secretary said there had been largescale misutilisation of central fund and in many cases funds were not spent.

To a question, he said the CPI, CPI(M), JMM and the Orissa Gana Parishad had also agreed to extend full support to the Orissa bandh.

Asked as to whether the party would recommend dismissal of the government, he said they would apprise Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Party President Sonia Gandhi of the situation.

UNI