BHUBANESWAR: Reacting to BJP’s allegation that the Odisha government mishandled Sambalpur violence by overlooking an advisory of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the BJD on Saturday said the saffron party does not want peace to return to Sambalpur. Senior vice presidents of BJD Prasanna Acharya and Debi Prasad Mishra in a joint statement said normalcy is returning to Sambalpur due to the strong and whole-hearted resolve of the people and resolute efforts of the police and administration.
“But unfortunately, Odisha BJP leaders never wanted normalcy and their statements were always aimed at ensuring the issue keeps simmering. Having failed in their initial attempts, BJP leaders have been trying to flare up the issue through various means,” they stated. Odisha BJP called for a bandh on the sensitive matter which affected the lives and livelihood of poor people of the state. The people of Sambalpur want normalcy which does not fit into the agenda of BJP. Therefore, they are consistently trying to insult and demean the people of Odisha by using various means to keep the sensitive issue on the boil, the ruling party leaders added.