Samikhsya Bureau
How concerned are people’s representatives about common people’s issues, especially in a backward district like Nabarangpur? Not at all, if you go by their poor response to an initiative organised to discuss about the issue of food and nutrition.
On Thursday, a programme “Dialogue with Political Parties – People’s Manifesto on Food and Nutrition” was organised by social organisations like Collective Action for Nutrition, Odisha Khadya Adhikar Abhiyan, Voice for Child Rights, Janaswasthya Abhiyan-Odisha and Water Initiatives in Nabarangpur district headquarters. It was supposed to be an interface between community representatives and candidates contesting for seven assembly seats under Nabarangpur parliamentary constituency – Nabarangpur, Umerkot, Jharigaon, Kotpad, Dabugaon, Malkangiri and Chitrakonda.
The candidates of different parties had been invited to attend the discussion and put forth their opinion and action plan on issues relating to malnutrition, improvement in quality of mid-day meal, support to lactating and pregnant mothers, right of forest dwellers over the forest land and safe drinking water.
But none of the candidates turn up. The candidates of three major political parties – Biju Janata Dal, Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party – who are fighting it out in the seven assembly seats did not even send their representatives. Only a representative of Bahujan Samaj Party attended the meeting.
The community people raised their issues at the programme and talked about their expectations from their elected representatives. But sadly there was no candidate to listen to their grievances, forget about talking about his action plan to solve them.
Maybe, the candidates are shying away from such initiatives because they are not fighting the elections on people’s issues!
