PURI: The Congress activists staged black flag protest against Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Sanjay Dasburma during his visit to the town for inauguration of Aahar centre at Municipality bus stand on Thursday.
The Congress activists suddenly appeared on the scene and raised slogans against Dasburma demanding his resignation for his involvement in Artha Tatwa chit fund scam and Pajero issue.
Heavy police bandobast, which was made keeping in view the earlier egg hurling cases by the Congress activists, averted any untoward incident. Police rounded up the agitating activists and whisked them away.
Earlier, police had also taken some Congress leaders into preventive custody.
Reacting to the Congress demands for his resignation, Dasburma said, “I have no involvement and everything will be clear after investigation by the CBI. They should wait for the outcome of the investigation. If I am found guilty, I shall take ‘sanyas’ from politics.”
“Some unscrupulous elements are trying to defame me. In the past too, they had unsuccessfully tried to get me entangled in Madhavilata suicide case,” Dasburma said.
Inauguration of two Aahar centres in Puri is part of 100 centres being commissioned by the Government on Thursday, which coincided with the 125th birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar. Another such centre was opened at District Headquarters Hospital, Dasburma said. A centre would also be opened shortly at Konark under the urban Aahar project, he added.
Dasburma was accompanied by Agriculture Minister Pradip Maharathy, local MLA Maheswar Mohanty, Satyabadi MLA Umakant Samantray and BJD spokesperson and Nimapara MLA Sameer Dash.
Maharathy urged the people to use the facilities for their convenience.
Informing about the Yojana, District Collector Arabind Agarwal said the centres can serve 500 people everyday but would remain closed every Sunday.
Civic body Chairperson Jayant Kumar Sarangi and Chairman of Zilla Parishad Dibakar Patra were also present.