Bhubaneswar: After Congress general
secretary Rahul Gandhi contended that development cannot take
place by suppressing views of tribals, Orissa Chief Minister
Naveen Patnaik said it is incorrect to say the voice of
tribals was stifled in the state.
"It is absolutely incorrect (that voice of tribals was
stifled)," Patnaik told reporters hours after Rahul told a
public meeting at Jagannathpur village near Vedanta`s refinery
plant in Kalahandi district that true development lies in
listening to the voice and concerns of the poor and tribals.
Seeking to show his concern for tribals, Patnaik said
the BJD government in the state has been sincerely working for
the uplift of the tribals for the last 10 years.
In his address to tribals at the foothills of
Niyamgiri where Vedanta proposed to undertake bauxite mining,
the Nehru-Gandhi family scion had dismissed the charge that
Centre`s decision to reject Vedanta`s mining plan would go
against development.
Development, he said involves listening to the voice
of the poor and tribals and not suppressing it.
-PTI
