BARGARH: Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Prasad Harichandan on Tuesday demanded resignation of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik after the Supreme Court indicted the State Government in the Itishree Pradhan murder case.
Speaking to mediapersons here at the end of his two-day tour of Bargarh district, Harichandan said the apex court has held the State Home Department, which is headed by the Chief Minister, responsible for the death of the school teacher, Itishree.
Maintaining that the main accused was still at large, Harichandan said Itishree, a school teacher at Tikiri in Rayagada district, was set on fire by unidentified persons in October 2013, for refusing to withdraw the sexual harassment case she had filed against Inspector of Schools. The 36-year-old teacher succumbed to burn injuries in a hospital at Visakhapatnam on November 1, 2013.
Accusing the State Government of all round failure, the OPCC president said the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy should be termed as Minimum Production Price (MPP) and the Government should pay MPP at `2,500 per quintal. Maintaining that the Government has failed miserably to protect the interest of farmers, he demanded that subsidised agricultural inputs should be provided to them.
He also took a dig at the Government for adopting Chhattisgarh model in paddy procurement process which was grossly unsystematic. The market yards should operate till the last bag of paddy is lifted, he added.
Claiming that 30 per cent hike in electricity tariff was on the cards, he said it is bound to hit the farmers and domestic users hard. Congress would launch a stir across the State if the hike is implemented, Harichandan threatened.
Explaining that electricity bills worth crores of rupees were pending against industrial houses, Harichandan accused the Government of penalising small and domestic consumers. He also demanded that the upcoming airport at Jharsuguda should be named after freedom fighter Veer Surendra Sai.