Sambalpur: The BJP on Friday said that it has 'suspended' the dharna over farmers' issue on the premises of the Sambalpur Town police station following a discussion with the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), North Division, Niranjan Sahu.
Leaders of the saffron party launched the dharna on Thursday evening demanding procurement of paddy which has been lying unsold in market yards.
BJP leaders, including state president Samir Mohanty, had been taken into preventive custody after party workers attempted to gherao the office of the RDC in Sambalpur after holding a rally to protest against the alleged anti-farmer policies of the state's BJD government on Thursday.
The leaders were detained at the Town police station and after the mob dispersed, the police let them off. However, they refused to leave the police station until their demands were met and stayed the night there, sources said.
Tension erupted on Friday morning when the police stopped BJP workers from entering the premises of the police station to meet the leaders. The party activists gathered in front of the main gate of the police station and staged a dharna.
As the sit-in continued till late in the afternoon, the RDC invited a BJP delegation for a discussion on the issue, sources said. The decision to suspend the agitation was taken at the meeting.
BJP leader and Sambalpur MLA Jayanarayan Mishra said that the RDC assured them that he would take steps to resolve the issues.
"We have given a 72 hours ultimatum to the government. If these issues are not resolved and paddy is not procured from market yards by then, we will intensify our agitation," he said.
(PTI)