The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hauled the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in particular, over the coals for maintaining a stoic silence over the allegations against his ministers at the State executive committee meeting held in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.
Referring to Pari murder case, Mahanga double murder case, ACF Soumyaranjan Mohapatra death case and the recent sensational Mamita Meher murder case, the saffron party said Ministers like Arun Sahoo, Pratap Jena, Bikram Keshari Arukha and Dibyashankar Mishra respectively, are involved in the cases. Yet, the CM has been maintaining silence over the demands for their removal, said senior BJP leaders at the meeting which was held at a hotel in the Capital city.
The party also wanted to know from the CM why he was not speaking anything about the Ministers and initiating action against them.
Launching a blistering attack on the BJD, the leaders said the BJP will continue its agitation course till Minister of State for Home Dibyashankar Mishra is removed from his post and the transfer of the investigation into the sensational Mamita Meher murder case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in order to facilitate a fair probe.
“Women are not safe in Odisha under the BJD government. The party has failed to ensure women’s safety. As per the National Crime Records Bureau, four women are being raped and six are kidnapped every day. Minister Arun Sahoo is involved in Pari murder case and Minister Pratap Jena is involved in Mahanga double murder case. Similarly, Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha and Minister of State for Home Dibyashankar Mishra are involved in ACF Soumyaranjan Mohapatra death case and Mamita Meher death case, respectively. The state executive committee expressed its deep concern over the CM maintaining a silence on the issues,” said General Secretary of Odisha BJP Golak Mohapatra.
State party president Samir Mohanty, Odisha Prabhari D Purandeswari, Saha Prabhari Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, Union Minister Bishweswar Tudu and the party’s national vice-president Baijayant Panda attended the meeting. They apart, all the MLAs, MPs and district presidents also took part in the meeting.
The BJD’s reactions over the BJP charges are yet to be received.