IOCL fallout: Odisha BJP asks BJD leaders to stay away from function

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Jan 28: 

The war of words between Odisha’s ruling BJD and the BJP over the inauguration of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL)’s Paradip refinery got murkier today as BJP leader Prithiviraj Harichandan advised BJD leaders to stay away from the event.

“The IOCL programme is an event where the Chief Minister, Industries Minister and as the local MLA Damodar Rout would take part. If they still consider it to be a BJP programme, they can stay away from it,” said Harichandan.

Stepping up his attack, Harichandan asked the BJD leaders to remove the picture of Naveen Patnaik from various Odisha Government schemes such as Aahar, Niramaya and food security schemes etc.

“The images of Naveen Patnaik from each and every Aahar centre should be removed. The same goes for Niramaya and other schemes too,” he added.

Harichandan was reacting to a statement issued by State Excise Minister Damodar Rout, who has been incessantly criticising the publicity vans sent out to promote Central Government schemes in the name of ‘Jana Amantran Karyakram’ (public invitation programme) before the dedication of Paradip refinery to the people of the country by the Prime Minister.

“As per the democratic setup, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming here. Not the BJP leader Narendra Modi. He is out guest and the host is the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. However, it hurts to see that the Odisha BJP is treating it like a party programme,” said Rout, after a meeting of top BJD leaders in Paradip today.

In a related development to the IOCL controversy, a Cuttack based voluntary organisation today moved High Court regarding the usage of pictures of Union Petroleum & Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in the Jana Amantran Karyakram publicity vans and filed a PIL today.