Bhubaneswar: BJD slammed BJP and Congress for doing petty politics over sensitive cases like crime against women. “The opposition parties, particularly BJP, have been misusing the crimes against women for their narrow political gains and they do it before all major elections,” BJD spokesman and MP Sasmit Patra alleged.
Alleging that the BJP was politicizing a criminal case, BJD spokesperson, Mr.Patra cited two instances where the saffron party has thrown all scruples to the wind and sacrificed the dignity of the victims’ families to take a political mileage.
Patra pointed out that the BJP raised the issue of another lady teacher murder case in 2013 ahead of the 2014 elections and attempted to take political mileage, but failed in its bid as people rejected the saffron party. “People could see through the opaque strategy of the BJP and did not vote for the party. Soon after, the party forgot all about the incident and returned to its cocoon,” Mr.Patra claimed.
Similarly in the Kunduli murder case, while police investigation was in progress, the BJP made it an issue in Bijepur by-election. But, when the government formed a commission and a special investigation team (SIT) to probe into the incident, both BJP and Congress backtracked.
Both parties did not turn up to file their complaints before the commission, Mr.Patra said, ridiculing the opposition parties and accusing them of doing politics over the Kalahandi case also.
After scaling down their stir for two days due to Dipabali festival, the opposition BJP and Congress Saturday further intensified agitation demanding removal of Minister of State for Home DS Mishra over the lady teacher kidnap and murder case by conducting shutdowns in two districts and announcing to strongly oppose Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s Kalahandi district scheduled for November 8.
While the BJP general secretary P Harichandan has announced “social boycott” to the CM’s meeting at Dharmagarh in Kalahandi district on Monday, Congress leader Bhakta Charan Das appealed to the people to observe a “Janata Curfew” during Mr.Patnaik’s visit.
Meanwhile, schools, colleges and markets remained shut and traffic movement affected in both Gajapati and Jharsuguda districts in response to a bandh call given by the BJP demanding sacking of the MoS, Home and handing over the case to CBI.
While the Gajapati district bandh was conducted for 12 hours, the Jharsuguda witnessed an eight-hour strike. However, emergency and essential services were exempted from the purview of the bandh.
The BJP has so far observed bandhs in Boudh, Balasore, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Subarnapur, Nuapada, Sambalpur, Balangir and Kalahandi districts last month, demanding the dismissal of the minister and a CBI probe into the case.
The Congress has also called Odisha bandh bandh on November 12 if Mishra does not resign from his post.
The members of the Youth Congress also launched their two-day dharna near Raj Bhavan in the state capital demanding sacking of Mishra while Bhakta Charan Das held a rally in Bhawanipatna appealing people to come forward to oppose the CM’s visit to the state and observe two minutes silence for the peace of the lady teachers soul at 11 am on Sunday.
Das said the minister should immediately step down or be removed as he has lost all moral value to continue as a Home Minister.
Meanwhile, MOS, Home, DS Mishra faced a black flag agitation in Kalahandi district when he was visiting Dharmagarh, the venue of CM’s scheduled meeting on Monday. The police have picked up some protestors on charge causing public disorder by staging agitation on streets.
At a press conference here, BJP leader Harichandan alleged that women are not safe under the BJD rule in Odisha. More than one lakh women have been tortured in 21 years of administration of the present government in the state, he alleged.
“Chief minister Naveen Patnaik is sitting like blind king ‘Dhritarashtra’. Instead of taking action against the criminals, he is protecting them,” Mr.Harichadan alleged, adding that the BJP will not sit silent.
We will continue our protest till the accused MOS Home is dismissed from his post and a CBI probe is ordered into the case, he said. He too appealed to the people to boycott the chief minister’s visit to Kalahandi scheduled on November 8. “The people should boycott all CM’s programmes due to his government’s insensitive approach towards the heinous crime patronaged by a member,” Mr.Harichandan said.
He said the BJP has decided to burn effigies of Minister Mr.Mishra at all the 314 blocks of the state on Monday coinciding the CM’s meeting in Kalahandi. This apart, th saffron party has also threatened to gherao the police stations in all districts.
The BJP has accused the minister of having close connection with prime accused in the murder of teacher at Mahaling in Kalahandi district.