BJP targets Odisha govt over ‘arrest’ of party’s IT cell member, questions social media influencer’s role in Parikrama project

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) over the alleged detention of the party’s IT cell member over some anti-state government post. The BJP alleged that its IT cell member Sangram Patra was picked up by the Police last night.

Though police are yet to issue a statement regarding the detention or arrest, the development has drawn a sharp reaction from the BJP. Patra had allegedly shared some posts regarding the Odisha government’s ‘Scooty’ scheme for which he was picked by the cops.

"We condemn the way police picked Sangram Patra at the dead of night from Angul and detained him in Sambalpur. This is the murder of democracy and freedom of speech. Under the BJD rule, the government is not willing to hear criticism. The power of governance has now moved from elected representatives to those who are not elected. As a result, they are now slapping false cases and sending opposition party members to jail,” alleged BJP’s Lekhashree Samantsinghar.

BJP spokesperson, Anil Biswal took to X (formerly Twitter) to vent out his anger. He questioned, “Why no action is being taken against BJD MLAs and leaders who are involved in sexual offenses and murders.”

Senior BJP leader, Sajjan Sharma also shared a picture on his X handle and alleged, “A conspiracy is being hatched to convert Puri into Vatican City.”

BJP leaders also questioned the move to bring a social media influencer to promote the Srimandir Parikrama Project in Puri. A picture of the social media influencer in which she can be seen eating beef in one image and sharing information on the Srimandir Project on the other has now gone viral on social media. Meanwhile, no response has been received from the ruling BJD.