Bhubaneswar: A day after accusing the Odisha government of not protecting her from ‘sponsored hooligans’, BJP MP from Bhubaneswar Aparajita Sarangi on Monday alleged that Mission Shakti members are being used to attack her while discharging duties in her constituency.
The Parliamentarian alleged some women were mobilised by the government and the ruling party, BJD, as part of the plan to oppose her visit, but it was foiled due to ‘the love and blessings of the people of the constituency’. She also accused them of carrying stones, eggs and black flags to the event and shared some pictures of the same on his ‘X’ handle.
In the name of Women Empowerment,
the State Government of Odisha has been using MISSION SHAKTI Women to attack me -a woman MP, duly elected & blessed by the people.THE REAL FACE OF MISSION SHAKTI…
Will Hon’ble @CMOdisha stop being ĎHRITRASHTRA & carry out his ‘ŔAJDHARMA’. pic.twitter.com/xTNty8JKxU
— Aparajita Sarangi, Member of Parliament (@AprajitaSarangi) August 28, 2023
Notably, Aparajita was the first MD of Mission Shakti when Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the scheme on March 5, 2001. The bureaucrat-turned-politician has gradually become one of the most vocal critic of the BJD and the state government.
On Sunday, she had targeted the CM and his government over repeated incidents of protests during her programme in Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency, saying they are responsible for her safety and security as well as such untoward incidents. “Such protests have been organised deliberately during my visits to different areas of my constituency for the last three days. I am a woman MP and I feel unsafe here,” she alleged while speaking to journalists after her visit to the Jayadev Assembly segment.
There were also reports of scuffle reportedly between the supporters of the two parties.
BJD spokesperson Shreemayee Mishra had earlier said that the MP has been branding the voters as hooligans for questioning her about her work.
