‘Pandian Go Back’ Rents The Air In Odisha’s Boudh As BJP Workers Oppose 5T Secy Visit

Boudh: The protests against 5T Secretary VK Pandian’s whirlwind tour to different parts of Odisha continued on Wednesday with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists staging a black flag march, opposing his visit to Ambagaon village in Kantamal block of Boudh district.

The BJP activists also raised ‘Pandian Go Back’ slogans and attempted storm into the 5T Secretary’s meeting venue. They were, however, stopped by the police, leading to a brief scuffle. “Who is VK Pandian and what rights he has? He is trying to hijack the governance by keeping the CM under house arrest,” alleged BJP Yuva Morcha state general secretary Om Prakash Mishra.

While questioning the arrangements being made for a secretary-rank officer, which they alleged is akin to that for a CM, the BJP leaders rued that the elected representatives in the state have been relegated to secondary position in the state.

The saffron party had staged a similar protest on June 29 when its leaders and workers, clad in black, released black balloons into the sky as the chopper of the 5T Secretary hovered over Jagatsinghpur district. The BJP has also applied to the Centre against Pandian, accusing the 2000-batch IAS officer of violating the All India Service Rules for bureaucrats by holding of public rallies and announcing of sops.

On Tuesday, eggs were hurled by AAP activists at Pandian’s carcade near Kota Samalei-Ulunda road in Sonepur district.

The ruling BJD, however, has been defending the visits, saying that the CM has asked his office to reach out to people and hear their grievances.