Power Tariff Hike: BJP Protestors Break Barricades Near Odhisha Assembly, Held

Bhubaneswar: Protesting the government’s repeated power tariff hike affecting 92 lakh families across the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday took out a massive rally from Master Canteen to the state Assembly here. In a bid to reach the Assembly, hundreds of party workers either broke or scaled the police barricades set up near the PMG Square before being arrested.

BJP Bhubaneswar district president Babu Singh who led the “Chalo Assembly” rally threatened to immobilise the state government and broadbase the agitations all over the state if the government failed to take right measures to roll back the increased power tariff.

“Sadly, the consumers have been paying their power bills through their nose for over a year and the power minister appears powerless in the face of soaring tariff,” Singh told mediapersons outside the House.

The police had to face violent resistance from the saffron workers at PMG square before being pushed into waiting vans.

The issue also rocked the House business due to noisy protests from BJP members forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House till 4 pm.