Describing the nude protest by some women during anti-Posco agitation as ‘unfortunate’, the State Government on Friday expressed concern over support from certain political parties and NGOs to such activities.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Damodar Rout, who also holds the Small and Medium Enterprises portfolio, told the Assembly that it was unfortunate that some women stripped while protesting at the POSCO site on Thursday.
The issue cropped up during the question hour while Rout was replying to a question from Pritiranjan Ghadei (BJD) on establishment of National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) in Kalinga Nagar industrial area.
He regretted that some political parties and NGOs were supporting such agitation without understanding the ground reality. Rout hails from Posco’s proposed plant site in Jagatsinghpur district and has been an MLA for about 20 years.
Rout diverted to Posco topic when some members said NIMZ should be set up near Dhamra where vacant land is available. The Minister said the Posco project is also being set up on Government land, but agitation against it is going on for the last eight years.
The Minister later told this paper that innocent women were instigated by certain vested interest groups to strip during
the protest. Rout held five political parties CPI, CPI-M, Forward Bloc, RJD and Samajwadi Party responsible for the anti-Posco agitation since 2005.
“The Government is acquiring its own land which is in illegal possession of certain villagers and not an inch of private land is being acquired,” he said.