BHUBANESWAR: A fact finding team of the Congress including general secretary of All India Congress Committee (AICC) Randeep Singh Surjewala and the party’s Odisha in-charge A Chellakumar will meet the family members of the murdered lady teacher Mamita Meher on Thursday. President of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Niranjan Patnaik will accompany the Central team to the lady teacher’s native Jharni village in Tureikela block of Balangir district.
Announcing this at a press conference here, the OPCC chief criticised the silence of both Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra on the incident. The Congress leaders took strong exception to Mishra attending government meetings despite the growing demand for his removal from the Ministry because of his close links with the main accused Gobinda Sahu. “The Minister’s silence will not be tolerated and Congress will continue to agitate till he is removed from the Ministry,” Patnaik said.
Congress will also organise a rally at Nabarangpur on October 31, the death anniversary of India Gandhi, as a show of strength following the exit of former MP Pradeep Majhi from the party. Chellakumar, who will arrive on a five-day visit to Odisha on Thursday, is likely to attend a meeting along with Patnaik and other senior leaders at Nabarangpur.
Meanwhile, reacting to Congress allegations, the BJD said the State government has never compromised on any issue and the law will take its own course. “Investigation is underway in the case. However, Opposition is doing cheap politics to defame the government. The Opposition cannot digest the popularity of the Chief Minister and is trying to derail the investigation,” BJD MLA Latika Pradhan alleged adding the Chief Minister has never tolerated injustice in the past and will never do so in the future.