Bargarh: Alleging Central negligence towards the district, the local unit of BJD today decided not to let two Union ministers – Santosh Gangwar and Sadhwi Niranjan Jyoti – who are scheduled to attend the Vikash Utsav celebrations here tomorrow to enter Bargarh.
Leaders of the ruling party, under the chairmanship of local MLA Debesh Acharya, today prepared a blueprint on how to protest the two Union ministers’ visit to the district.
Acharya said, “The Centre has been neglecting Bargarh every time. Though farmers had great hopes that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will announce increase in the minimum support price for paddy during his visit to district in February last, nothing happened. It was only 15 days back that the minimum support price was increased, that too only by Rs 60.”
Refuting the charges, Ashwini Sadangi, State vice president of BJP, said, “It is not clear why the Bargarh unit of BJD is opposing what is a party programme.”
“Following the Prime Minister’s visit to Bargarh on February 21, the BJP has gained grounds in the district in the past few months. Probably the increase in popularity has become an eyesore for the BJD leading them to level charges like this,” he added.
Former Jharkhand chief minister Arjun Munda is also scheduled to attend the Vikash Utsav celebrations in Bargarh.
Earlier, the saffron party had held Vikash Utsav functions at Balasore, Rourkela, Bhubaneswar and Berhampur.