BHAWANIPATNA: Congress workers led by AICC general secretary and former Union Minister Bhakta Charan Das opposed the visit of national BJP president Amit Shah to the district on Wednesday.
Police took 40 Congress supporters into preventive custody for Shah’s visit. As many as five to six Congress workers were also detained for displaying black flags at the BJP national chief. As per reports, black flags were waved at the Shah near DIPRO office and SDPO office while he was on his way to from Lal Bahadur Shastri stadium to Irrigation IB.
Accusing the BJP of neglecting Kalahandi in all fronts, Das said the BJP-led Centre has stopped all the largesse given by the previous UPA Government for development of the district. He questioned the decision of Railway Ministry to shift the Rail Wagon factory from Narla in the district. The project would have generated employment opportunities for locals, the Congress leader said and added that in absence of adequate funds under MGNREGS, the poor and marginalised are being forced to migrate.
The former Union Minister said the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Law Minister on dilution of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has exposed the BJP’s anti-dalit policy.
Das further claimed that the UPA Government had mooted to set up a Central University and Mega Food Park in the district besides upgrading the District Headquarters Hospital to a Medical College and Hospital. However, the BJP-led NDA Government ignored the proposals which would have otherwise changed the face of Kalahandi, he added.