Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik has decided to raise the long-standing demand of special category status (SCS) for the state at the NITI Aayog meeting, to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday."We will raise the issue (special category status) during the NITI Aayog meeting in New Delhi. Besides, I will seek appointments with some central ministers to discuss issues related to Odisha," Naveen told reporters at the secretariat before leaving for the national capital.Odisha's demand comes despite the Raghuram Rajan committee, in September 2013, having advised the Centre to do away with the SCS tag. Several times in the past Union ministers of the NDA government too had brushed aside the demand citing that the state has received adequate funding in accordance to the recommendations of the 14th finance commission.And yet, the ruling BJD, which has been using the issue as a political tool to corner successive central governments, has justified the decision to press for special status for the state."So what if the Centre has decided to do away with the SCS tag. Odisha is a victim of natural calamities like flood, drought or cyclone almost every year. Odisha is one of states with the highest number of people below the poverty line. Whenever we will get the opportunity, we will raise the demand," BJD leader Surya Narayan Patro said.Patro said the state has to bear additional financial burden (nearly Rs 2000 crore annually) as the Centre has changed the fund sharing pattern of a number of centrally sponsored schemes. Eyeing political dividends from the issue ahead of the 2014 elections, the BJD had taken the SCS fight to New Delhi.While supporting the demand, leader of opposition Narasingha Mishra also hit out at the BJD for using the issue for political gains. "Special category status is a long standing demand of Odisha. But the BJD uses it as a political propaganda to target successive Union governments, helping it garner votes. But how Odisha is going to benefit out of it? Mishra asked.BJP spokesperson Sajjan Sharma said Naveen has kept a dead issue alive just for political reasons.

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