Ahead of the panchayat polls, the ruling BJD which was seemingly soft on the BJP since the latter came to power at the Centre, seems to have declared a face-to-face war against the NDA Government.
On Friday, Union Minister of State for Textiles Santosh Gangwar’s car was damaged when BJD workers pelted stones at it at Bargarh.
The BJD workers of Attabira and Bargarh Assembly constituencies protested with black flags when Gangwar, Minister of State for Food Processing Sadhvi Niranjana Jyoti and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda reached Gandhi Chowk at Bargarh to take part in a Vikas Utsav event to commemorate two years of the Narendra Modi Government.
A group led by Bargarh BJD MlA Debesh Acharya came before the convoy of the saffron party leaders’ cars with black flags. As police tried to dissuade them, some of them pelted the convoy of the Union Ministers with stones, resulting in damage of the windowpanes and rear glass of Gangawar’s car.
Terming the incident as very unfortunate, Gangwar said, “It is the responsibility of the State Government to provide security to visiting Central Ministers. It seems Naveen Patnaik is upset by comparing with his 16 years in power with the two years of the Modi rule at the Centre,” he remarked.
Maintaining that in Indian tradition guests are regarded like gods, Union Minister Niranjan Jyoti told reporters that in a State where even the Central Ministers are not safe, one can imagine the plights of common people.
Rubbishing the allegations, BJD MlA Debesh Acharya said the BJD workers only staged a peaceful protest, which is their democratic right as the BJP is only making promises and misleading people.
“The BJD is not involved in any incident of violence,” maintained Acharya.
Expressing disappointment over the attack, Northern Range DIG Prateek Mohanty said whoever is found guilty in pelting stones and damaging the Union Minister’s car would be taken into task.
Meanwhile, sources said police detained 80 persons and arrested five in connection with the incident.
The BJP, on its part, announced a tit-for-tat treatment to the BJD.
Party general secretary Bhrugu Baxipatra threatened that his party activists would not allow any Minister of the Naveen Patnaik Government to any district.
However, during the Bargarh event the Union Ministers distributed skill development certificates to 20 handloom weavers while over 64 weavers were given a loan of Rs50,000 to Rs10 lakh each under the PM Mudra Yojana.