BHUBANESWAR: A day after being detained by a group of protesters in ward no 43 of the city for nearly two hours, BJP national spokesperson and Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi on Tuesday blamed the state government for the incident accusing it of having malicious intent. In a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Sarangi wrote that she was deeply disturbed by the indifferent attitude of the state government towards ensuring her security.
Alleging that a handful of miscreants detained her in her vehicle for two hours near the Old Post Office lane in ward no 43, she wanted to know if the CM’s carcade could be stopped even for five minutes. “I think everyone’s time is equally valuable,” she wrote.
Sarangi stated that she had gone to the ward on the invitation of residents to hold a meeting on Monday evening. “However, some anti-social elements stopped my car and prevented me from proceeding to the meeting spot. I sat in the car waiting for the police to control the situation for two hours,” she wrote.
The Bhubaneswar MP, whose party had earlier alleged it to be a BJD-sponsored protest, said she was detained when more than 200 people were waiting in her office for public grievance. “This speaks of malicious intent on the part of the government. Will the state government compensate me for my lost time?” she asked. Notably, the political battle between BJP and BJD in the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency has intensified ahead of the general elections in 2024.