Amid celebration of Utkal Divas, former MP Pangi announces exit from BJP
KORAPUT/JEYPORE: Former MP Jayaram Pangi announced his resignation from BJP even as residents and various organisations celebrated Utkal Divas in Kotia under Pottangi block of Koraput on Friday.
Speaking to mediapersons in the disputed panchayat, the veteran leader said he will work for Dandakarnya Parbatanchal Bikash Parisad (DPBP) which seeks separate Union Territory status comprising areas under undivided Koraput district. These include Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur and Rayagada besides some parts of Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Pangi alleged that the State government is not serious about protecting the bordering areas as a result of which 13 villages of Bora Mutha area were occupied by AP. A separate UT will solve the border dispute apart from fostering closer administration and rapid development of the region, he asserted.
Urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider his demand, Pangi said he has sent his resignation to State BJP chief Samir Mohanty. Meanwhile, a special meeting was conducted at Kotia GP where eminent persons from the district and other parts of the State participated and recalled the glorious history of the formation of Odisha.
Highlighting continuous territorial overtures by AP in Kotia, the dignitaries demanded immediate action by the State government in this regard. Apart from Pangi, former Koraput collector Gadadhar Parida and zilla parishad member Tikkai Gamel were present. In Koraput, the district administration organised a mass rally to mark the occasion.