Even as the tribals’agitation against the alleged callousness of the Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys (IMFA) towards peripheral development as part of its CSR activities near its plant site in Rayagada continued for the sixth day on Saturday, its authorities have been politicising the issue.
Politics is being brought into an otherwise normal issue of an industrial unit’s obligations towards welfare of the people living in its peripheries. This is being done to blame the State Government in view of the fact that MP Baijayant Panda, who is part of the IMFA owners’ family, has been suspended from the ruling BJD due to his antiparty conduct.
As Panda is tilted towards the BJP, the saffron party is most active in defending the IMFA on political ground. The OTV, the channel run by Panda’s wife, is also vociferously focussing on the ‘political victimhood’ of the industrial house.
The BJP even held a Press conference on Saturday with its State general secretary Bhrigu Baxipatra calling the anti-IMFA issue not being solved but politicized IMFA stir a “State-sponsored” move, for which the Rayagada district administration is allegedly not effectively intervening to resolve it.
Baijayant Panda and his supporters have even blamed the Chief Minister’s Private Secretary VK Pandian for allegedly being behind the anti-IMFA agitation. In fact, Panda, for his own reasons, has been holding Pandian responsible for any wrong in the State administration.
The general view is that instead of politicisation of the issue, the IMFA management should concentrate on the core point of its unit’s peripheral development.