BHUBANESWAR: Bhubaneswar MP and BJP national spokesperson Aparajita Sarangi on Wednesday wrote to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik seeking an inquiry into why she was not invited to the 74th Capital Foundation Day function organised by the state government.
“Our political ideologies may be different, but you may kindly agree with me that the state government needs to learn to extend the minimum courtesy to the people’s representatives,” she wrote.
Sarangi, who has been elected to the Lok Sabha from Bhubaneswar parliamentary constituency, said as a public representative it is her 'right' to be invited to the public function organised by the state government to celebrate the formation of the Odisha capital.
“I am extremely respectful to all those among us who hold Constitutional position and I expect the same kind of behaviour to be displayed towards the seat of the Member of the Parliament, which you will appreciate, is a Constitutional post,” she wrote.
The Bhubaneswar MP said she was deeply pained to know that the invitation for the function organised by the state government, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation and Capital Day Celebration Committee has been sent to all except her.
Stating that it doesn’t seem to be an ‘innocuous omission’, she wrote that she expects the Chief Minister to direct the concerned state authorities to inquire into the matter and find out the individuals responsible for it.
Sarangi also underlined that the move has hurt all the people of Bhubaneswar who had elected her. “They would all like to know about the reason behind the omission of my name and about the person or persons responsible for it,” she said.
Sarangi shot off the letter to the Chief Minister hours after she took to micro-blogging site Twitter seeking to know the reason she was not invited to take part in the function.
Minister and Bhubaneswar Ekamra MLA Ashok Chandra Panda who urged all not to drag the event into controversy, however, agreed that the Capital Foundation Day event should be organised in a more disciplined manner involving everyone.