Bhubaneswar, July 4: The BJP state unit today urged governor S.C. Jamir to censure the state government for not taking action against the culprits responsible for the attack on Union textile minister Santosh Gangwar's car on June 24 in Bargarh.

A delegation, led by BJP state president Basanta Kumar Panda, today met the governor and sought his intervention. "The BJP state unit has lost all faith and confidence on the state government and police force. We urge the governor, the highest constitutional authority in the state, to direct the state government to bring the culprits to book and suspend the local police superintendent and the district collector pending inquiry," said the party's memorandum submitted to the governor.

The BJP also urged the governor to "convey his displeasure to the state government in strongest possible terms".

Even the party's general secretary in charge of Odisha Arun Singh reiterated his statement that the BJP would be compelled to demand imposition of the President's rule for collapse of law and order in the state, if such attacks on Union ministers recurred in the future.

The party, which staged demonstration in front of Raj Bhavan, blamed state textile minister Snehangini Chhuria, Bargarh MP Pravas Singh and local MLA Debesh Acharya for planning the attack and inciting violence by BJD workers by giving provocative speeches threatening not to allow the central ministers to enter the district.

The BJP leaders also alleged that the police were actively involved in "protecting the hooligans rather than the Union ministers" and no action was taken against the police higher-ups for such lapses. "This would not have been possible without the active directions from the chief minister," said a BJP leader.

BJD spokesperson Samir Ranjan Dash, however, dismissed the allegations and said the state government and the police had taken prompt action. "The chief minister has promptly ordered an administrative probe into the incident by the revenue divisional commissioner (north). We should wait for the inquiry report," he said.

But, the BJP dubbed the commissioner as a "farce". Panda pointed out that revenue divisional commissioner (north) N.B.S. Rajput was transferred on the very day the inquiry was announced to "to manipulate and influence finding of the inquiry". The BJD leaders, however, said the transfer was made to facilitate a free and fair inquiry.