BHUBANESWAR: All eyes are on Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s visit to Bhawanipatna on Monday where he would launch the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) smart cards amidst a boycott call and string of protests demanding Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra’s resignation over the sensational Mamita Meher murder.
Naveen’s first visit to Kalahandi district - a 20 minute affair - after the lady teacher’s murder will see much of the focus on Mishra who is slated to share the stage with the CM. From the point of view of Biju Janata Dal which has been on the back foot on the issue, it would be a political posturing to fight off the stinging attack from the Opposition at the beleaguered Minister’s home turf.
While the BJD has made massive preparations for the CM’s visit, police has been on its toes. Security measures have been beefed up in the entire district, particularly in Bhawanipatna, to prevent opposition workers from creating any disturbance during the visit. At least 25 platoons of police have been deployed in the district headquarters town to ensure that Naveen’s function passes off without any incident.
Incidentally, the Chief Minister’s last two visits to Mayurbhanj and Jharsuguda districts had witnessed violence as BJD workers had countered protests by BJP and Congress activists over Mishra’s resignation.
On Sunday, the BJD organised a huge public meeting at Junagarh as a show of strength. But, when Minister Mishra and party’s secretary (organisation) Pranab Prakash Das were on way to the venue, BJP activists hurled eggs at them. A confrontation between the BJP and BJD workers followed.
The BJD camp has also adopted a belligerent posture. The mood could be gauged from the fact that Kalahandi MP and senior BJP leader Basant Panda faced strong protest from some villagers and ruling party members during his visit to different places in the district on Sunday. A meeting addressed by the MP at Mahaling was disrupted allegedly by ruling party activists. The saffron party hosted street corner meetings at 17 places of the district on the day.
Both Congress and BJP have assured peaceful protests but rallies have been planned by the Opposition parties as well as the ruling outfit. Around 60 MLAs and Ministers including party’s secretary (organisation) Pranab Prakash Das are camping in different blocks of the district to ensure that Naveen’s visit is smooth.
The CM will get down at Agriculture University Campus where he would launch the smart card distribution. Just about 250 persons have been invited to the function. He would return to Bhubaneswar straight from the venue.
Ministers and MLAs have been entrusted to distribute the cards in different blocks, panchayats and urban local bodies of the district. Mishra, who is in the eye of a storm due to his alleged proximity with Gobinda Sahu, key accused in the Mamita murder case, will be among four ministers to attend the programme at Bhawanipatna.
Other ministers who will share the stage with the CM are Minister for Women and Child Development Tukuni Sahu, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Naba Kishore Das and Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari. Leader of the Opposition Pradipta Kumar Naik and Kalahandi MP have been invited to the CM’s function.