The district BJP unit staged a demonstration in front of the Collectorate here on Tuesday in protest against inadequate and irregular distribution of relief materials among the flood-hit people.
The slogan-shouting agitators holding banners and placards, led by former MP Rudra Narayan Pani and Nilgiri MlA Pratap Sarangi, congregated after taking out a mammoth rally through the thoroughfares of the town.
While addressing the protesters, Pani and Sarangi accused the leadership of both Congress as well as BJD of doing actually nothing for the calamity victims. “The district should have been given more relief packages as it was worst hit by Phailin and floods,” they said.
Pani said that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik should shun the lavish lifestyle he leads and feel the ordeals faced by thousands of hapless people, lest he should quit the post.
Alleging that the Government officials were busy in appeasing their political masters, Sarangi said that discrimination on political lines was palpable in distribution of relief materials and identification of victims.
The party submitted a 13-point charter of demands to the district Collector. The memorandum included waiving of loan for farmers SHGs, fishermen, free hostel facility for students of the affected areas, special package for Rabi crop and supply of electricity in a subsidized rate etc. The party also demanded a high-level probe into the relief loot incidents.