IOCL ceremony BJP’s ‘party programme': Rout

Bhubaneswar: Excise minister and BJD MLA from Paradip Damodar Rout on Sunday alleged that the BJP had transformed the IOCL function into a party programme at Paradip today.

Rout told media persons, “The IOCL chairman, who had invited everyone to the function, should have given the welcome speech and the executive director of the company should have delivered the thanks giving. At the most, the local MLA should have been asked to thanks the audience.”

Rout further stated, “The government function has been made into a party function and there is no meaning in organising it.”

Coming down heavily on Rout for the statement, Arun Singh, BJP state-in-charge, said, “Damodar Rout is neither the Petroleum minister nor a Union minister. Should a Union minister decide what should be done or a Minister of Odisha?”

"Flags of BJD and BJP were present at the function. How someone can call it a party function?" Singh asked.

Slamming both the BJD and BJP, Congress MP Ranjib Biswal commented, “Allowing party flags, posters, banners in a government programmes is not correct.”