BALANGIR: Eggs were pelted at the vehicle of Agriculture Minister Pradeep Maharathi by BJP workers while he was on his way to Balangir from Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. The incident took place at Sudpara railway crossing.
Although Maharathi’s route was changed following the incident and he was taken to Circuit House, the Minister was shown black flags there by the party workers. They raised slogans against the Minister’s visit to the district. Apparently, Maharathi had earlier stated that if the BJP wants to show its strength, it should do so during his Balangir visit. The district unit of the BJP had asked the Minister to withdraw his statement or face action.
Town IIC Prashant Pattnaik said police detained eight BJP activists, including former district president Prabhas Panigrahi. BJP district president Bhakta Bandhu Naik said the protests against the Agriculture Minister will intensify.