BJD Justifies Picking Niranjan Bishi With 16 Criminal Cases For Rajya Sabha From Odisha

Bhubaneswar: BJD Rajya Sabha candidate Niranjan Bishi has 16 criminal cases pending against him and has been acquitted in another case, according to the affidavit filed during the nomination on Tuesday.

The cases include rioting, provocation, use of arms, wrongful restraint, use of obscene words, damage to public property, defamation, intimidation and criminal conspiracy, among others, are in various stages of trial in Balangir, Sainala, Titilagarh and Bangomunda, all in Balangir district. He, however, has never been convicted in any case.

Notably, most of these cases were filed against him by the state government.

Justifying the selection of Bishi, who is a graduate in political science and history and law degree holder, the BJD said: “The cases against him are entirely in the nature of lawful protests in tribal attires, traditional weapons during demonstrations, processions and protests as a torchbearer of his fellow tribals. Considering his eminence as a distinguished tribal leader of the state, his selection to Rajya Sabha in comparison to others was obvious.”

BJD president Naveen Patnaik had sprung a surprise by declaring Bishi as one of his party’s candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections on Sunday. He had joined the regional party just two days ago.

Bishi is the secretary-general of Paschim Odisha Adivasi Kalyan Mahasangha, a tribal organisation with a good presence in Balangir, Kalahandi, Sambalpur and other western Odisha districts, since many years. He has been championing the cause of tribals since 1985.

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