Cong Calls Hartal In Odisha Successful, BJD Terms It A Joke On People

Bhubaneswar: Congress has said its 6-hour statewide hartal on Friday in support of the demand for resignation of Minister Dibya Shankar Mishra for his alleged link with prime accused in Mamita Meher murder was a success, while ruling BJD termed it a ‘joke’.

Speaking to media persons, Congress working president Chiranjib Biswal said the hartal called by the party demanding ouster of Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra from the post for his link with prime accused in Mamita Meher murder case, Govind Sahu evoked spontaneous response across the state.

Stating that the hartal was peaceful, Biswal said the fight for justice for the family of the slain school teacher of Kalahandi will continue. The party will remain quiet till minister Mishra has resigned, he added.

He further said though the BJD government, shaken by the people’s resentment on the issue, approached the court to spoil the peaceful agitation, the Congress observed the hartal respecting the order of the Orissa High Court.

Biswal said the party activists requested the people to support the hartal and close their offices and establishments. They staged sit-in at some places holding placards and raising slogans demanding resignation of the minister.

Senior Congress leader Tara Prasad Bahinipati said the response to the statewide ‘hartal’ was spontaneous and successful. They did not force anyone to participate. “We requested the people to cooperate and they supported voluntarily,” he said.

Former PCC president Jaydev Jena said all efforts of the government to foil the hartal have been proved futile. “The government’s intention was exposed when it moved the court against the mass agitation and people have realised it. The Congress will continue its fight till the BJD is brought down from power,” he said.

On the other hand, BJD called the ‘hartal’ a joke on the people who are struggling to streamline their lives after the COVID pandemic. The party’s national spokesman Sasmit Patra said there was no people’s support to the hartal.

He said unfortunately the Congress saw an opportunity to raise its popularity index, which has reached its lowest in the state, by exploiting a sensitive issue. Though the victim’s family had appealed to all political parties not to politicise the murder, the opposition party did not respect their sentiments, he added.

Speaking on similar vein, Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera said the ‘hartal’ cannot be justified in the present circumstances. “The opposition parties are calling bandhs without any justified reason and causing hardship for the common people,”  he added.