The inaugural meeting of the Kalinga Baliyatra here turned out to be a stage of war of words as expelled BJD leader and local MLA Damodar Rout and Ministers and ruling party MLAs exchanged personal aspersions on the dais.
Rout, who attended as an honourable guest at the Kalinga Baliyatra inaugural ceremony here on Friday, warned district Collector Yamini Sarangi and SP R Prakash not to get involved in politics and asked Minister Pratap Jena why he had come to Paradip while the political situation in his constituency Mahanga is very tense.
“While the law and order situation is calm and quiet here, why the SP transferred the Paradip IIC? Why the Collector didn’t call me to this inauguration meeting when I waited for two hours in the circuit house,” Rout wanted to know and asked them not to do politics.
Similarly, he took a jibe at Health and Family Welfare Minister Pratap Jena, who graced the occasion as chief guest, saying why he had come to Paradip. “The Mahanga political situation is very bad. Why he is coming to Paradip, moving door to door and picketing in front of the IOCL Refinery,” he wanted to know.
Rout too criticised MP Dr Kulamani Samal, Culture Minister Ashok Panda and other BJD leaders who were present there.
Jena, Panda, Erasama-Balikuda MLA Prasanta Muduli, Mahakalpada MLA Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak too delivered counter speeches against Rout. The cultural stage turned a BJD conflict field.
Among others, Jagatsinghpur Zilla Parishad Chairperson Priyadarshini Biswal, municipality Chairman Basanta Kumar Biswal, PPT FA and CAO SK Sahu and municipality EO Dilip Kumar Mohanty were present.
At the outset, ADM Dr Kahnu Charan Dhir gave welcome address.