Now, BJD workers beat BJP men in Angul

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Angul, Jul 30:

A day after some BJP workers were allegedly thrashed by several BJD supporters at Manamunda in Boudh, similar scenes were witnessed in Angul today. Some workers of the saffron party were allegedly beaten by BJD supporters in front of the Circuit House in Odisha’s Angul when the former were protesting the visit of Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Sanjay Das Burma to the district.

Workers of both parties got involved in a brawl, reports said, adding that around twenty BJP workers were detained. Angul SP Kavita Jalan was injured while policemen were trying to bring the situation under control.

According to sources, the incident took place when the minister was on the way to the office of Angul Collector to join a protest organized by Biju Yuva Janata Dal (BYJD) opposing the construction of projects in the upper catchment of river Mahanadi by Chhattisgarh government.

Earlier in the day, ten BJP workers including party leader Rudra Pani were detained by police as they were shouting slogans at Amlapada here protesting the minister’s visit to Angul.

“It is unfortunate that the minister is doing politics instead of performing his duties. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik should take steps to curb corruption by young ministers. There has been a large scale corruption in the Supplies Department despite financial help by the Centre,” said Pani.

“The BJP workers are trying to use their female activists as shields by sending them to lead the protests. They don’t have a clear opinion on the Mahanadi issue. If they have guts, they should present a clear cut view on the topic,” said Tapan Kumar Tripathy, BYJD president, Angul.

In a related development, Madhupatna police detained ten BJP workers for attempting to show black flags to Minister Badri Narayan Patra at Press Chhak in Cuttack.

It may be recalled here that several BJD supporters, including an MLA, had allegedly thrashed some BJP workers after the latter showed black flags to Ministers Sanjay Das Burma and Pushpendra Singh Deo at Manamunda in Boudh yesterday.