BHUBANESWAR: Reacting to Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s questions on the probe into the murder of Naba Kishore Das, the BJD alleged the BJP was hellbent on politicising all criminal cases to create a political narrative.
Terming Pradhan’s statement about the law and order situation in Odisha ridiculous, BJD MP Sasmit Patra asked the BJP leader to look within and their party-ruled states where many sensational cases including liquor tragedy, bridge collapse and crime against women are routine.
Talking to mediapersons in New Delhi, Patra alleged that in Odisha, a senior BJP leader with 14 criminal cases pending against him and who is out on bail in a murder case has been appointed as the leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. The president of the state unit BJP Yuva Morcha was also in jail in the Bhatli murder case and is now out on bail, he said and added that the BJP does not have the moral authority to question BJD.
Stating that all the cases mentioned by the Union minister are sub-judice, Patra said the BJP should have faith in the judiciary and allow courts to deliver justice without raising questions on them. The people of Odisha have seen through such strategy of politicising criminal cases for political gains and the BJP cannot succeed in its plan to mislead them, he added.
The BJD MP also targeted the Centre for slashing Rs 20,000 crore in the 2023-24 budget from paddy procurement which will reduce procurement from Odisha to four lakh tonne. He said lakh of farmers from the state will be affected by this.