When the attack on Kendrapada BJD MP Baijayant Panda has rocked the State, bringing to the fore a trend of increasing intolerance and vengeance among leaders within party, Utkal Bharat president MA Kharabela Swain set off a furor by saying that he too faced similar harassment in the BJP which is why he quit the party.
Swain’s statement was an open indictment against State BJP face Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The former BJP MP alleged that he was targeted by Dharmendra Pradhan as he opposed a candidate for a MlA ticket in the party in 2009 who was the latter’s choice.
Swain said that the candidate for which Pradhan was lobbying was not worthy of being offered a party ticket since his educational qualification was not even 5th standard. Angry over this, Pradhan settled a score against him by sending goons to his house who smashed every household articles that came their way when he was not there.
Swain said that the assets damaged would be worth over a lakh.
Swain further accused that Pradhan was not content with that, but his men also played a role to ensure that he got defeated in the election from the Baleswar Parliamentary constituency as they supported Congress candidate Srikant Jena. They had taken Rs 15 lakh from Jena and purchased a Bolero jeep which they are using even now, charged Swain, adding that the same people also worked against the BJP nominee in the Remuna Assembly constituency.
Meanwhile, on the attack against Kendrapada MP Panda, Mahanga MlA and Health Minister Pratap Jena said that Panda should have not gone to attend the function there as the situation was tense and he was facing stiff resistance from the people.
Jena, who is said to be a rival of Panda, explained that Panda had defied the public mood and to browbeat the protestors had taken some outsiders in vehicles which enraged the locals leading to the melee.
Panda, however, after the attack remarked that the BJD is away from the mission it was created for. He said that the party had been formed to ensure that violence has no place in politics but in the last three years violence has rather increased.