BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Sunday urged the chief electoral officer (CEO) to keep Health and Family Welfare Minister Naba Kishore Das away from poll-bound Padampur for allegedly engineering attacks on party workers by goons from outside the area.
The party also demanded deployment of central forces in the area for the safety of its workers. A delegation of BJP leaders led by Opposition chief whip Mohan Majhi submitted a memorandum at the office of the CEO here and alleged besides Das, several other BJD ministers and leaders are threatening BJP workers during campaigning to win the bypoll by any means.
Alleging that the Health minister has created a reign of terror in the bypoll bound constituency by bringing in miscreants from Jharsuguda, Majhi said three BJP workers sustained grievous injuries in an attack by the hired goons in Dhenkimunda area of Pakikmal at Das’ instruction.
Majhi further alleged 15 ministers are now camping in different parts of Padampur and their followers are attacking BJP workers. Though an FIR was lodged, police has not taken any action against the culprits, he said, adding law and order situation has deteriorated in the area due to activities of the BJD leaders.
The saffron party leader said the party will raise the issue in the ongoing Assembly session if the CEO does not take any action against the ministers allegedly involved in violation of model code of conduct. He said BJD legislator Manohar Randhari is openly distributing blankets among voters in violation of poll code, but no action has been taken in this regard despite a complaint lodged by BJP. Alleging that two other ministers,
Rohit Pujari and Rajendra Dholkia had violated the model code of conduct earlier, Majhi said the CEO is yet to take action against them.