Kalinga Sena State youth president Priya Gadanayak and Dhenkanal district president Chakdradhar Naik have come down heavily on the BJD Government as Ministers have no respect for the model code of conduct, which has been clamped for the ensuing municipal elections in the State.
Even as Minister of Steel and Mines Rajani Kanta Singh is yet to be cleared of the allegation of misusing his official fax system for election purposes, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Damodar Rout has entangled himself with another controversy of using red light in his vehicle while visiting the Dhenkanal Municipal Council ward-22 for party work as an observer on Sunday.
Sources said that when Dhenkanal Sub-Collector Anil Kumar Pattnaik, who is functioning as the Election Officer for Dhenkanal Municipality, after getting allegation from opposite parties, politely approached Dr Rout to remove the red light from his vehicle as such act of his was violating the model code of conduct, the Minister misbehaved with the Sub-Collector in loud voice.
Dr Rout shouted back at the Election Officer, saying that he knew law better than him and there was no need to learn law from a Sub-Collector.
Interestingly Dr Rout repeated his version in the same voice to a reporter when the scribe pointed out that use of red light in vehicle during party propaganda is violation of the model code of conduct. Dr Rout claimed that use of red light in a private car does not violate election law.The Congress and the BJP have sent fax messages to the State Election Commission in this regard and sought action against the Minister.