Puri: Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera faced a strong protest from the villagers while campaigning in a village in Odisha’s Puri district on Monday.
According to sources, Behera, who is the BJD candidate for Kakatpur Assembly seat in the district, had gone for campaigning in Tarkora pnachayat under Gop block on the day.
As the minister went to Jagannathpur village under the constituency, the villagers gheraoed him and demanded to know what steps he had taken for development of the area in the last five years. They also accused him of failing in his promise to provide safe drinking water to the village.
Agitated over the villagers’ protest, the supporters of local sarpanch Sushant Parida reportedly rebuked them in foul language and tried to disperse them forcibly. It led to a scuffle between the two groups.
While the minister allegedly threatened to totally stop the water supply to the village, the villagers have warned of intensifying their agitation in future.
Neither the minister nor BJD has issued their reaction nor released their comments on the matter.
The election to Kakatpur Assembly segment under Jagatsinghpur Lok Sabha constituency is scheduled to be held in the last phase of elections on June 1.
