BHUBANESWAR: The State BJP on Friday targeted Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for the “unprecedented violence” during the panchayat and civic body polls and alleged that political intolerance has increased manifold in Odisha.“Odisha is now second to West Bengal as far as political violence is concerned as the Chief Minister has turned a blind eye to it, State BJP president Sameer Mohanty told mediapersons here.
Accusing the Chief Minister of double standards, Mohanty said that on one hand he demands ‘Ahimsa’ to be added to the preamble of the Constitution but has never initiated any step to check violence by his own partymen. Mohanty alleged that the State Election Commission (SEC) and some officials are working like puppets of the ruling party.
Referring to several incidents in which ruling party supporters and workers were found distributing money in front of polling booths during the ULB elections, the State BJP president alleged that all kind of assistance is being extended to help criminals subvert law.
However, countering the BJP allegations, government chief whip Pramila Mallick alleged that the BJP was behind all violent incidents. “A bombing incident was reported from my area yesterday and the man behind it is none other than a BJP candidate who is contesting the election,” she added.
Meanwhile, a BJP delegation led by State vice-president Bhrugu Buxipatra submitted a memorandum to the SEC on Friday against violence perpetrated by BJD activists at Chikiti in Ganjam district during ULB elections on Thursday.