Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Thursday targeted senior BJP leader and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for allegedly insulting the people of Odisha by branding them as lawless.
Coming down heavily on Dharmendra Pradhan, BJD MP Dr. Sasmit Patra urged the Union Minister not to insult the peace-loving people of Odisha by branding them as lawless.
“Don’t insult the peace-loving people of Odisha by branding them as lawless. Don’t insult Odisha for your petty political narrative”, the BJD MP told Dharmendra Pradhan.
“It’s surprising to see that despite you having been an Hon’ble Union Minister for so long, you are still unaware about the difference between lawlessnessness (law and order) and crime”, Patra said.
Lawlessness is when during a GST raid in Padampur, Odisha, hundreds of Odisha BJP leaders and workers storm in forcibly, snatch the papers seized by the GST raiding party, in a bid to help the businessman who had cheated in paying GST, he said.
When 500 people block National Highway between Sambalpur to Cuttack due to Central neglect and delay in completing NH work for many years, it’s law and order situation, the BJD MP stated.
When thousands of farmers protest against Central neglect for not lifting surplus Paddy, it’s law and order. Crime is committed by a group or individual which is investigated and the guilty are brought to justice, he added.
Targeting the Union Minister, the BJD MP further said, “Please don’t try to mislead and do politics on sensitive matters of crime. Do you know as per NCRB Report (2021), BJP-ruled states like UP, MP, Maharashtra, Assam & Haryana have more Rape cases than Odisha?
That BJP-ruled states like UP, MP and Maharashtra have more Murder cases than Odisha in 2021, he stated.