Bijepur: With the battle of ballot in Bijepur round the corner, the 'Nuakhai Bhetghat' celebration by the ruling-BJD in western Odisha didn’t go well with the opposition parties. Both the BJP and the Congress accused the BJD of playing with the sentiments of people to win election.
Yesterday, the BJD organised the Bhetghat (get-together) at Bijepur Assembly constituency which was attended by Odisha ministers Tukuni Sahu, Padmini Dian, Sushant Singh, Attabira MLA Snehangini Churia, former Bijepur MLA Rita Sahu and Ollywood actress Archita.
While the saffron party termed the Nuakhai Bhetghat a tactic of BJD to lure the women voters of the constituency, Congress said that the women’s convention of BJD will have no impact on the by-poll.
“BJD remembers our culture only during elections. Earlier, the party had organised Nuakhai Bhetghat in five assembly constituencies of the region. Now, in view of the upcoming by-election in Bijepur, the party once again organised the get-together to lure and hoodwink the women voters,” alleged BJP state vice-president, Aswini Sarangi.
Former Congress MLA Nihar Ranjan Mahanand also echoed similar views. “It has become a tendency of the BJD to roll out various schemes to garner people’s support during elections. But, the schemes are forgotten once the polls are over. They never keep the promises made to people.”
Mahanand further said that the BJD’s plan to woo voters in the name of Nuakhai Bhetghat will have no impact on Bijepur bypoll.
Refuting the allegations, BJD leader and minister Sushant Singh said that the Nuakhai Bhetghat is not new as the party has been organising the get-together for the last three years. “This is a programme to meet our own people,” the minister added.