With only a day remaining for the Kranti Samabesh of Odisha Jana Morcha (OJM) led by BJD dissident Pyarimohan Mohapatra on October 28, ministers and MLAs of the regional outfit are allegedly working overtime to foil the rally by ensuring that no party worker makes it to the venue.
In his second letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday, Pyari alleged that regional transport officers (RTOs) and even in one case a Minister, threatened vehicle owners not to ferry BJD workers to the venue of the rally. “Much worse is the news about you instructing local party leaders at the Naveen Nivas on Thursday to prevent people of Bhubaneswar from reaching the rally site, whatever may be the expenses,” he said.
Pyari questioned if the head of the government indulges in such illegal, undemocratic and unconstitutional means, can one say that the rule of law exists in Odisha, especially for the OJM.
Besides, Minister of State for Energy Arun Sahu along with the RTO intimidated vehicle owners at Nayagarh and Ranpur, Pyari alleged, adding that same is the case in Cuttack, Athagarh, Choudwar and Kendrapara. “The RTO, Bhubaneswar, has warned vehicle owners against lending vehicles to the participants of the rally including the heavy ones needed for a mobile platform to address the rally,” he said.
Attempts are being made by certain party leaders to disrupt the rally by bringing in women and children to create untoward situations, Pyari said. Plans are afoot to push around 2,000 anti-socials into the rally to create violence, he added.
Describing these attempts as desperate and despicable, the BJD dissident alleged that all these activities appear to have been planned after the intelligence assessed that more than 70,000 people are likely to attend the Samabesh.
“You were a student of history and I need not remind you that movements by workers, be it of a party or organisation, have always overcome all kinds of repression by tyrannical systems,” Pyari said and added that in this case also the BJD workers for whom this movement has been launched will not be cowed down by the intimidations and threats.
Requesting the Chief Minister to take remedial action before he left for New Delhi on Friday, Pyari said, “It will be in the interest of democracy and in your best interest to direct the system to do its lawful duties and advise political colleagues to refrain from interfering with a peaceful democratic rally.”