BHUBANESWAR: The Opposition BJD on Tuesday came down heavily on the state government for the mismanagement in Balijatra alleging this has shown Odisha in a bad light.
Addressing a media conference here, BJD spokespersons Lenin Mohanty and Ipsita Sahoo alleged that inability of the organisers to arrange carts for Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi for which he had to walk to the stage was unpardonable and strong action should be taken against those responsible for it.
They alleged the name of the chief minister was also missing from the Balijatra invitation cards. “Cuttack mayor gives the welcome address at the inaugural ceremony of the Balijatra. But this year, BJP MLA from Cuttack Sadar Prakash Chandra Sethi was assigned the job and his speech has become viral for all the wrong reasons,” they said.
The BJD leaders also demanded that Balijatra be declared as a national festival like the Kumbh Mela. The state will receive central assistance if Balijatra gets national festival status. They also demanded compensation of `20 lakh for the family of the boy who died of electrocution in the fair on Sunday.