TNI Bureau: Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) President Bhakta Charan Das will undertake a four-day tour of western Odisha from January 17 to 20, during which he will hold padayatras, public meetings and organisational programmes across several districts.

According to the schedule, Bhakta Das will begin his tour on January 17 at Jharsuguda. At 11.30 am, he will pay floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi’s statue, followed by a padayatra. He will later attend a meeting at the MCL Auditorium at 1 pm. In the afternoon, he will visit a polluted ash pond near Talpatia village along National Highway-49 to assess environmental concerns. He will stay overnight in Jharsuguda.

On January 18, the PCC President will travel to Rourkela via Sundargarh district. At 10.30 am, he will attend a roadside meeting with party workers at Karmadihi under the Talsara Assembly constituency. Between 11 am and 11.30 am, he will address party meetings at Bargaon and Kutra in the Rajgangpur Assembly segment. He will reach Rourkela later in the evening and stay overnight.

The same day, in Rourkela, Das will pay floral tributes to the statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Birsa Munda. At 12.45 pm, he will lead a padayatra from Bisra Chowk to the Congress Bhavan, followed by interactions with party leaders and workers. He will also attend a programme marking the joining of grassroots BJP and BJD workers into the Congress. At 4 pm, he will address a press conference. He will later participate in an all-party meeting and address a gathering organised by the Rourkela Chamber of Commerce, before staying overnight in the city.

On January 19, Das will travel from Rourkela to Sundargarh, taking part in programmes at Rajgangpur, Karmadihi, Subdega and Sundargarh, and will stay overnight in Jharsuguda.

The tour will conclude on January 20 with Das addressing a large farmers’ convention in Bargarh.

It may be noted that the PCC has recently been organising statewide agitations over issues such as MGNREGA implementation, electricity-related problems and alleged irregularities in paddy procurement. The Congress said the western Odisha tour of the PCC President is expected to further intensify these movements in the region.