BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik came in for sharp criticism at the State executive committee meeting of the BJP here on Wednesday for maintaining silence on the Mamita Meher case and “protecting” three BJD ministers allegedly involved in separate murder cases.
“The silence of the Chief Minister is not only discomforting but has also angered the people who are expecting justice to the family of Mamita who was brutally murdered by a man close to Minister of State Dibya Shankar Mishra. The BJP strongly disapproves of this attitude of the Chief Minister,” State BJP president Samir Mohanty said.
The deteriorating law and order situation in the State and rising atrocities against women topped the agenda of the party which passed 13 political resolutions at the meeting. The BJP resolved to further intensify its agitation across the State till Mishra and his Cabinet colleague Law Minister Pratap Jena, who has allegedly been spared in the triple-murder case at Mahanga despite the repeated intervention of a lower court to name him as one of the accused, were sacked from the council of ministers.
Hitting out at the ruling BJD for failing on all fronts amid rampant corruption and misrule, the BJP in a resolution said corruption and misutilisation of funds sanctioned by the Centre for the three-tier panchayati raj institutions will be the major issues in the forthcoming elections to panchayats.
Lashing out at the government for failing to ensure desired development and taking off the State in the growth trajectory despite liberal assistance from the Centre and being in the government uninterruptedly for the fifth term, the party said the people have seen through the game and cannot be fooled by the populist measures of the BJD government.
BJP joint Odisha in-charge Vijay Pal Singh Tomar said his party will lay the foundation for a change of government in 2024, in the upcoming panchayat elections. The party also came down heavily on the government for the hefty rise in the electricity tariff when the people are struggling to cope with the Covid pandemic situation.
In a separate resolution, the BJP showered praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his deft handling of coronavirus, massive free vaccination drive and supply of free foodgrains to over 80 crore people for 15 months. The Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Ashwini Vaishnaw could not attend the meeting due to their other assignments. However, Tribal Affairs Minister Bishweswar Tudu was present.