BJP harps on changes in MoU with Posco

The Statesman, April 25, 2007

Statesman News Service
BHUBANESWAR, April 24: The state unit of the ruling BJP today said it would continue to press for modification to the MoU signed by the state government with Posco, particularly those related to swapping of a certain percentage of iron ore and the mining lease area.
But it hastened to add (lest it may rub the CM the wrong way), that even these issues should not be a bottleneck or hindrance for establishment of the steel plant.
BJP state unit president Mr Suresh Pujari was hard pressed trying a balancing act between strong views of some his party colleagues and avowed stand of the government in promoting the project.His attempts to soft peddle the issue were short lived as former state unit president and former Union minister Mr Juel Oram literally blasted out pledeging his support to the people’s movements resisting both Posco and Vedanata projects as far as mining activities were concerned.Mr Oram said he would lend whole hearted support to those who are struggling against displacement and destruction of the environment both at Lanjigarh and Khandadhar mines area.Mr Oram, when he was president of the BJP, had voiced concerns over the Posco MoU. He had objected to swapping of iron ore and other concessions being extended to the project. Today, he stuck to his stand at a time when the party seemed to be scared of crossing sword with the CM on the issue.
“I am with those who are against handing over Khandadhar mines to Posco or any other company for that matter. I am also opposed to the mining area being given to Vedanta industries near Lanjigarh,” said Mr Oram.Without mincing words, Mr Oram said the state government often alleges Central apathy but what about the condition of state roads in the mining areas where people are dying everyday due to accidents. “The roads in the mining belt are death traps and nothing is being done, people of these areas demand better roads and minimum facilities and I stand by them. The priority should be in addressing these problems not in handing over mines to industrial houses,” he remarked.
Mr Pujari on his part told reporters that the BJP was not against Posco and it wanted the plant to come up in the state with minimum displacement. When his attention was drawn to the earlier stand of the BJP wherein it had raised objections to certain provisions of the MoU, Mr Pujari was cornered to say that his party will continue to press for modifications to the MoU.
The BJP chief was addressing a Press conference after a two-day executive committee meeting in which dismal performance of the party in the recently concluded panchayat polls were analysed.
Mr Pujari stuck to his view that the panchayat polls were highly expensive this time. He, however, refused to name the political party which had turned the polls expensive. “We introspected and identified loopholes in our party vis-à-vis the poll result. We did not find fault or blame any other political party,” he said.
The BJP wanted the government to focus more on agriculture and agro-industries sector. It came down heavily on the UPA government for neglecting Orissa.
Mr Pujari underplayed voices of dissension in the party and refused to comment on statements made by senior leaders like Mr Anadi Sahu who had described the leaders here as “cockroaches”.