TNI Bureau: Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Bhakta Charan Das led the “Gandhi Pathe Odisha” Padayatra from Eram in Bhadrak district to Basudevpur, where a large protest meeting was held.

The march began with floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi’s statue and the martyrs’ memorial at Eram, which is remembered as the site of a massacre during the Quit India Movement and is often referred to as the “Second Jallianwala Bagh.” Addressing the gathering at Basudevpur, Das recalled the sacrifice of 29 freedom fighters and the injury of 56 others during the 1942 incident, and paid tribute to woman freedom fighter Pari Bewa.

In his address, Bhakta Das accused the central government of weakening rural employment by curtailing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the programme. He also criticized the Centre and the Odisha government over issues related to farmers, electricity tariffs, smart meters, and alleged tax burdens on the poor.

He further raised concerns over women’s safety and alleged governance failures, stating that Congress would continue its year-long padyatra across Odisha to create public awareness against what he described as misgovernance.

Senior Congress leaders, including former PCC president Jayadev Jena, Ananta Sethi, Nalini Mahanti, Ashit Patnaik, Shubendu Mahanti, Manas Mallik, and Madhusmita Sethi, were present at the event.