Bhubaneswar, Sept. 7: The Biju Janata Dal has decided to organise a public meeting on Exhibition Ground here tomorrow in the wake of the Congress’ show of strength yesterday.
The ruling party is sparing no efforts to cash in on the public sympathy generated by the attack on a lady constable by Congress activists during Thursday’s rally.
Sources said that police were scanning the CCTV footages of yesterday’s rally to identify the troublemakers, specially the Congress workers who beat up the lady constable, Pramila Padhi.
Different police associations of the state have threatened non-cooperation with the government unless the attackers of the constable are brought to book.
The proposed meeting will be organised by the BJD’s youth, women and students wings. All the ministers and MLAs have been asked to attend the meeting. However, the chief minister will not attend it.
Today, Congress and the BJD leaders traded charges against each other at the Assembly. The proceedings on the last day of the monsoon session were disrupted time and again as both Congress and BJD MLAs confronted each other in presence of the chief minister.
The Assembly ran for six minutes before it was adjourned till the afternoon. The BJD members displayed posters in the House condemning the attack by Congress workers on police and taking law into their hands.
Later, BJD MLAs demonstrated outside the House near the Mahatma Gandhi statue. “Action should be taken against those who attacked the woman constable. We are going to organise a rally tomorrow,” said BJD women wing chief Pramila Mallick.
The BJD MLAs said the violent incident took place because AICC leader in charge of Odisha affairs Jagdish Tytler incited the Congress workers to march towards the Assembly. “Tytler should be arrested,” said Mallick.
However, leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh denied the allegation. “No one has instigated any one. It was the police who attacked the Congress workers without any provocation,” he said.
Opposition chief whip Prasad Harichandan said, “The Congress had taken permission for the rally. The police and the BJD had hatched a the conspiracy against the Congress. Women constables should not have been deployed near the barricade.”
“People are deeply shocked by the violent incident that took place yesterday. Odisha as a state is known for its peaceful atmosphere. Such types of violence and activities should be condemned,” said chief minister Naveen Patnaik.
Responding to the charges, senior Congress leader Jagdish Tytler said: “Any form of attack on women is unfortunate. However, one must see that it was the Congress workers who rescued the lady constable. Naveen Patnaik is not capable of running the administration.”
Police officials today demanded action against Odisha Congress chief Niranjan Patnaik and Tytler. Odisha Police Association and Odisha Constable Sepoy Federation today met to chalk out a plan to prevent any form of attack on police by the political workers. “Congress workers are responsible for yesterday’s violence. They should be arrested. If the government fails to take action within 48 hours, we will not join our duty,” said Odisha Constable and Sepoy Mahasangh president Padmanabha Behera.
Odisha Police Association has also threatened to pull out of Tytler’s security cover group.