The Odisha unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday staged demonstrations at different places here over the “deteriorating law and order situation” in the state.
Targeting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over the murder of minister Naba Das by police personnel last month, the BJP leaders and workers blocked major roads and points in the city, including AG Square, Jaydev Vihar, Palasuni, Khandagiri and Samantarapur.
Due to the protest by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), traffic movement was affected for nearly two hours.
If the Chief Minister has failed to protect his own Cabinet Minister, what more can a common man expect from the government? Naveen Babu does not have the moral right to continue in his office, said BJP leader Babu Singh.
Holding the Chief Minister responsible for the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, BJP chief whip in the Odisha assembly, Mohan Majhi said: “I will seek a statement from the Chief Minister on the prevailing law and order situation in the state during the upcoming budget session. Will not allow the House to run till the CM does not make the statement.”
To counter the BJP’s ‘hartal’, the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) staged dharna before Raj Bhawan (Governor’s house) here against reducing the budgetary allocation on paddy procurement and closure of PMGKAY programme.
“A conspiracy has been made to finish the farmers. On one hand, the Centre is yet to release food subsidy dues of more than Rs 14,000 crore to Odisha. On the other hand, the budgetary provision for procurement of paddy has been reduced by Rs 20,000 crore for the year 2023-24,” said BJD organisational secretary Pranab Prakash Das.
About Rs 80,000 crore was spent on procurement in 2021-22 while only about Rs 60,000 crore has been earmarked in the budget for 2023-24, a BJD leader said.
Similarly, the Centre has discontinued distribution of 5 kg free rice under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY).
Poor people, who have been largely affected by the Covid pandemic, are suffering because of this move, said senior BJD MLA Debi Prasad Mishra.
With closure of the scheme, paddy procurement will drastically go down and the farmers will be deprived of getting the MSP, he said.
Later, the BJD leaders submitted a memorandum to Governor Ganeshi Lal over their demands.
Both the parties have decided to continue their protests against each other across the state for another two days.
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