BHUBANESWAR: Soon after BJP national president JP Nadda’s election rally in Berhampur calling upon people to vote out the corrupt BJD government in the state, the ruling party candidate from the Lok Sabha constituency Bhrugu Baxipatra slammed the saffron party for talking about ‘Odia Asmita’ but at the same time promoting chargesheeted persons like Pradeep Panigrahi and Prasanta Jagadev.
Baxipatra said he was shocked to see national president of BJP JP Nadda and Panigrahi sharing the dais at a meeting on Sunday. The BJD leader said Panigrahi was chargesheeted in the cash for job scam for which he was in jail for months.
Stating that he was in BJP for 23 years, Bhrugu said he joined BJD because he thought it was a party with a difference. He said several BJP leaders including him had protested against Panigrahi.
“However, I was shocked and dismayed when the party took in a criminal like Panigrahi, against whose misdeeds we were regularly agitating, with open arms. It shocked BJP cadres in Odisha and also demoralised them,” he said adding, “How you can now say that BJP is a party with a difference.”
The BJD leader asked whether people like Panigrahi, Jagadev and other chargesheeted criminals who were thrown out by BJD and welcomed by BJP with open arms are symbol of ‘Odia Asmita’.
Stating people of Berhampur and Odisha are laughing even as the state BJP cadres are dismayed, Bhrugu said he was saddened by this hypocrisy of the saffron party.