Bhubaneswar: Undeterred by Tuesday's shoe throwing incident, chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday continued his tirade against the Centre during his campaign for the February 24 Bijepur Assembly bypoll.

Naveen also exploited to the hilt the emotive issue of Mahanadi water.

"We had gone to the Supreme Court on the Mahanadi issue and the apex court has given justice to Odisha by asking the Centre to constitute a tribunal on the river water dispute and the Centre has been compelled to do so. Our fight for Odisha's rights will continue," he said.

Asking the people to vote for BJD's Rita Sahu, Naveen said: "I hope Bijepur will have a new identity if his (Subal Sahu) widow Rita wins and the area is developed under her leadership."

The BJP had deployed several senior leaders, including central ministers, to campaign for party candidate Ashok Panigrahi. Union minister Ramkripal Yadav on Wednesday addressed a number of meetings along with Dharmendra Pradhan. At one place the campaign pandal of Yadav caved in, disrupting the schedule for a few minutes.

Congress leaders, including former Union minister Srikant Jena, campaigned for party candidate Pranay Sahu.

"People have got disgusted with the misrule of both the BJD and the BJP governments. They will vote for the Congress," said Jena.

Even a day after the incident, controversy persisted over the identity of the man who had hurled the shoes.

The police, too, gave contradictory versions. On Tuesday, Bargarh SDPO Suresh Nayak had said that Kartik had named three persons, including BJP candidate Ashok Panigrahi, for instigating him. But, inpector-in-charge of Padampur police station Jashobanta Pradhani said Kartik did not have any political links.

Additional report by Subhas Panigrahi in Sambalpur