BJD Stages Demonstration against NALCO Disinvestment in Angul

Bhubaneswar: Continuing its resistance, Odisha’s ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday staged demonstration against the Union Government’s decision to disinvest 12.25 per cent of the Government’s shares from National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO), the only central public sector undertaking (PSU) in the State at NALCO’s smelter plant at Angul and warned the Centre to revoke the decision, failing which it would intensify its stir.

Hundreds of party workers along with members of the NALCO Coordination Committee shouted slogans against the decision of the government. They burned the effigies of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi urging the center to rollback the decision.

Apart from this a host of BJD leaders led by BJD Deputy Chief Whip and State Biju Yuva Janata Dal (BYJD) President, Sanjay Dasburma, BJD leaders Nagendra Pradhan, Sanjeeb Sahu, Rabi Narayan Pany, Mahesh Sahu & MLA Khageswar Behera and Prafulla Mallick joined hands with the NALCO Coordination Committee and participated in the demonstration.

The party had organised a similar demonstration in front of the Navratna company’s refinery unit’s at Damanjodi in Koraput district on September 24.

It is noteworthy to mention that BJD has also decided to hold similar demonstrations at the company’s corporate office in Bhubaneswar on September 28.

Earlier Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had also criticised the decision on September 14 after the center decided to reduce its stake in NALCO and three other PSUs — Hindustan Copper, Oil India and MMTC.

Source: 360 NS