BHUBANESWAR: Accusing BJD and BJP of vitiating the political atmosphere in the State by indulging in violence during campaigning for the panchayat polls, president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Niranjan Patnaik on Tuesday urged voters to elect honest leaders who believe in the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi.
Expressing disappointment over violence ahead of the polls, he said political leaders are deviating from the path shown by the father of the nation.“It is a matter of grave concern that corruption and violence have taken a firm foothold in politics,” Niranjan said while addressing mediapersons at Congress Bhawan here on Tuesday.
The OPCC president, however, ruled out taking ‘sanyas’ (retirement) from active politics in the near future. Niranjan said whether he contests in elections or holds any post, he will continue to remain in politics to serve the people of Odisha.
Citing the recent case of the attack on former Congress MLA from Soro Surendra Parmanik by his rival and MLA Parshuram Dhada in Chitol panchayat, he asked, “Is this the way democracy should function?” He said he would visit Soro to enquire about the ground situation from party workers.
Stating that violence against women in the State has considerably increased, the former Minister said it is painful to read news of rape, murder and sexual exploitation on a daily basis.He also targeted both BJD and BJP for paying lip service to the OBCs while ignoring their rights. He said Congress has given tickets to 44.78 per cent OBC candidates in the panchayat polls.