PARADIP: Hundreds of BJD leaders and workers from Kujang and Tirtol blocks of Jagatsinghpur district on Sunday boycotted the party’s organisational meeting on Paradip Assembly Constituency held at Bhubaneswar.
Protesting the expulsion of Paradip MLA Damodar Rout from the party, his close associates and supporters, including Sarpanches and PS members of the two blocks, skipped the meeting called by party observer for the district and Minister Prafulla Samal and co-observer Pratap Jena to strengthen party base in the constituency.
However, all the 16 councillors of Paradip Municipality participated in the meeting.Local MP Kulamani Samal said as per direction of the party observer, all the elected representatives, former elected representatives and BJD leaders of Paradip Municipality, Kujang block and seven panchayats of Tirtol under Paradip Assembly constituency were invited to attend the meeting at Bhubaneswer.
Earlier, Paradip BJD unit president Sumant Kumar Biswal and Chairman of Municipality Basant Kumar Biswal had conducted a closed-door meeting at Biju Memorial Trust office here and appealed to the councillors of 16 Wards and other ex-BJD councillors to attend the meeting. On the other hand, supporters of Rout had also conducted a meeting and convinced all the Sarpanches and Panchayat Samiti members not to attend the meeting.
Chairman of Kujang Panchayat Samiti Smruti Ranjan Behera said, “Rout is our leader. After his expulsion from the party, there is no question to attend the BJD’s meet in Bhubaneswer. Sarpanches, PS members, block unit BJD president, youth BJD leaders of Kujang block and others had unanimously decided to skip the meeting. We will extend our support to Rout.”