Bhadrak BJD MP Arjun Sethi has embarrassed Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and the State Government over the communal tension in Bhadrak town.
Sethi is the fourth senior MP after Bhartruhari Mahtab, Tathagata Satpathy and Baijayant Panda, who have embarrassed Patnaik for some reason or the other.
Sethi has made certain remarks which suit the BJP that has taken on the Chief Minister over the Bhadrak riots. In a media statement, he blamed Bhadrak BJD MlA Jugal Kishore Patnaik and the district administration for escalation of the violence.
“Had the police administration taken timely action, the situation would not have aggravated as it did. The Superintendent of Police (SP) is completely responsible for this,” Sethi said to the discomfiture of the Chief Minister. Blaming the SP indicated that the Home Department under the CM has not taken timely action.
Sethi questioned the police for permitting a rally in the town during the prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC on April 8. The rally was allegedly led by MlA Jugal Patnaik’s son.
Significantly, the BJP State Minority Cell has blamed the State Government and the Bhadrak MlA for the violence and demanded the Chief Minister’s resignation.
BJP legislature Party leader KV Singh Deo has also demanded a probe into the Bhadrak violence, which he suspected, was being created keeping in view the BJP national executive meeting in Bhubaneswar on April 15 and 16.