Odisha Minister Tukuni Sahu Says She Opposed District Status To Padampur Before Titlagarh

Bhubaneswar: Commerce, Transport and Water Resources Minister Tukuni Sahu has said she had opposed formation of Padampur district and decided to resign on the issue.

The minister said this while speaking at felicitation function of senior citizens in Titlagarh of Balangir district two days back. The video of her speech has gone viral in the social media.

Sahu said the demand for separate district status to Titlagarh is a long pending demand of the local people. While the demand has not been fulfilled till date, formation of Padampur district would have been injustice to them, she added.

“Those who accuse me of failing in my efforts for formation of Titlagarh district, I want to say that I had mentally decided to submit my resignation letter to the chief minister the day it would have materialised. But the chief minister did not let me do that. In case of a district formation in the state, the name of Titlagarh will be at the top of the list,” she said.

It may be noted that chief minister Naveen Patnaik has announced during campaign for Padampur by-election about district status to the area from Bargarh district. The BJD candidate, Barsa Singh Bariha, for the constituency had won in the election. But Padampur is yet to get the district status as promised by the chief minister.