BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Wednesday drew the attention of Governor Ganeshi Lal to the alleged criminal intimidation by the BJD leaders and misbehaviour by government officials to tribal leaders of the saffron party.
A delegation of the BJP led by State unit president Samir Mohanty met the Governor and submitted a memorandum requesting him to direct the State government to submit audited accounts of various Centrally-funded welfare projects under implementation in the State.
Accusing the BJD government of systematically depriving the scheduled tribes of all government schemes, plans and programmes, the memorandum said that whenever BJP representatives belonging to the tribal communities raise issues concerning irregularities in the tribal areas, the State machinery does not hesitate to misbehave even with Central ministers.
Citing a recent incident in which Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Bisweswar Tudu was ill-treated during his stay at Baripada circuit house, the BJP delegation said that the Union Minister did not get desired support from the State government during his official tours to different parts of the State.
"In his review meetings at various places junior officials were sent who were neither having necessary information nor the courtesy towards the Minister. When the Minister objected to such indifferent behaviour, government officials protested against Tudu by wearing black badges. This is nothing but a deliberate attempt to show disrespect to the Central Minister," the memorandum said.
They further said that the recent bomb attack on Keonjhar MLA and Opposition Chief Whip in the Assembly Mohan Majhi was another attempt to silence him as he was raising issues of corruption and misutilisation of DMF and OMBADC funds in his district.
Former deputy speaker Prahlad Dora passes away
BHUBANESWAR: Former deputy speaker of Odisha Legislative Assembly Prahlad Dora passed away here on Wednesday. He was 74. The veteran tribal leader had tested positive for COVID-19 while undergoing treatment for old-age related ailments at AIIMS here.
He breathed his last at the hospital. Dora was elected to the Assembly thrice from Chitrakonda constituency in Assembly district in 1977, 1990 and 2004. He was the deputy speaker of the Assembly for twos terms in 1990 and 2004.
He held the post from 1990 to 1995 when Biju Patnaik was the chief minister and from 2004 to 2009 during the BJD-BJP alliance government.