BJP, Congress take swipe at BJD for no action after attack on Gopalpur MLA's car

Hurling of eggs and stones at Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Panigrahy’s vehicle near Lanjipalli flyover in Ganjam district on Friday allegedly by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) workers has charged up the political atmosphere in Odisha. 

Referring to an incident that occurred seven years ago when the police used Section 307 of the IPC on Congress workers for hurling eggs at the CM’s vehicle, the state unit of the Congress wished to know why no action has so far been taken against those BJD workers. 

While addressing a press conference, OPCC chief Sarat Pattanayak said, “Section 307 is slapped when eggs are hurled at Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's vehicle. But no section has so far been slapped nor has anyone been arrested. To get the state free from the jungle raj, those responsible for what occurred in Ganjam district should be arrested immediately.”

Terming yesterday’s incident of obstructing an MLA from going to his constituency as injustice, senior Congress leader Santosh Singh Saluja said, “From now onwards, wherever VK Pandian will go, we will throw ink and hurl eggs at him.” 

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also raised the same question of police inaction against the BJD workers. 

“Eggs were hurled at an MLA who was elected on a ticket of the ruling party. The BJD workers were seen with lathis. But the government has not taken any action against them. I want to say, the police are reduced to puppets in government's hand," said BJP vice president Biranchi Narayan Tripathy.

In his response, BJD leader and Ganjam district president, Ramesh Chandra Chayu Patnaik said, “He (Pradeep Panigrahy) faced the people’s wrath because he had distanced himself from them for five years.  However, the police may take action in the coming days.”

At the same time, questions are being raised as to why the policemen are being deployed in colourful T-shirts at 5T secretary’s programmes. While they are deployed in plain clothes during the programmes of VVIPs, the policemen were seen in pink and blue T-Shirts during the 5T secretary’s programme. 

“Policemen are deployed in plain clothes so that they can easily get mixed with the people in the crowd. But such deployment is required at VVIP programmes and when a security threat is there,” observed former DGP, Sanjeev Marik.