BHUBANESWAR/BARGARH:As a war of words has ensued between the BJD and BJP over seizure of Rs 40.5 lakh at Mahulpali police check post in Bargarh district on Saturday evening, the regional outfit on Sunday demanded that immediate action should be initiated by the enforcement directorate and income tax authorities to punish the perpetrators of such unlawful activities.
Lodging a strong protest with the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), the BJD alleged in a memorandum that Akash Agrawal, a Viswa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activist, was carrying the money to be distributed among the electorate of Bijepur to vote for BJP.Describing this as a blatant violation of the model code of conduct, the memorandum alleged that father of Akash, Om Prakash Agrawal, also an active member of the VHP and BJP, was allegedly involved in burning of the Padampur church during communal violence. The memorandum said, “Necessary stringent action as per law should be initiated against the culprits and the perpetrators of such unlawful activities on the eve of the by-election to the Bijepur Assembly constituency”.
Minister for Food Supply and Consumer Welfare and BJD vice-president Surjya Narayan Patro, Rajya Sabha member AU Singhdeo, party legislator Priyadarshi Mishra, BJD state secretary Bijay Nayak and spokesperson Sasmit Patra were part of the delegation.However, the VHP denied that the person carrying the cash has any links with the organisation. The organising secretary of the VHP, Odisha, Sarat Pradhan has disapproved the attempts by BJD to drag VHP and Bajrang Dal into political controversies.
Meanwhile, the BJD maintained that voters of Bijepur will extend full support to the party in the by-election. Half of 2.21 lakh voters of Bijepur are farmers and the Centre has rejected the State’s demand to increase minimum support price (MSP) on paddy to Rs 2930 per quintal. Besides, the BJP also extended tacit support to Chhattisgarh on Mahanadi river water dispute, Nayak said and added that BJP is daily raising some irrelevant issues as a defeat is staring at it in the by-poll.
Meanwhile, Akash and Om Prakash were forwarded to the court on Sunday under Sections 171E, 171F, 120B, 353, 506, 34 of IPC and remanded to judicial custody after their bail plea was rejected. Padampur SDPO Laxminarayan Panda said after preliminary investigation, it has been established that the cash was meant for BJP to influence voters in poll bound Bijepur.