BJD MP from Puri Pinaki Mishra seems to have painted himself into a corner by saying that only four toilets are being constructed during the ongoing works for the Srimandir Heritage Corridor Project.
His statement came in the wake of Bhubaneswar MP (BJP) Aparajita Sarangi on Thursday raising concerns in the Parliament about the works undertaken under the project in the vicinity of the Srimandir without permission from ASI and NMA which is posing serious threats to the 12th century shrine.
Back in Mishra’s home turf in Puri, the Srikshetra Suraksha Milita Manch on Friday raised strong objection to the MP’s statement in the Parliament which they termed ‘acrimonious’. The Manch activists staged a demonstration and burnt the effigy and flexes of MP Mishra in the pilgrim town.
“We burnt the effigy of Puri MP Pinaki Mishra to register our protest against his lies in the Parliament. Does he mean to say that toilets are being constructed at a cost of Rs3,200 crore by evicting people from their ancestral lands” asked convenor of the Manch, Prasanna Kumar Dash.
“We demand he should resign immediately and tender an apology for his foolish statement which has hurt the sentiment of devotees. If he doesn’t tender an apology, he wouldn’t be allowed into Puri town and, in future, eggs would be hurled at him,” Dash warned.
Notably MP Sarangi had on March 31 raised the issue of Puri Srimandir heritage corridor in the Lower House, saying while the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (AMASR Act) 1958 restricts any kind of new construction work within 100 metre radius of a historical site, Illegal digging of ground within 100 metres near the 12th century shrine is presently underway.