Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s opposition BJD Wednesday accused the ruling BJP of misusing official government premises to conduct party meetings.
In a statement, BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty alleged that the meeting of the BJP’s party in charge has been included in the Sambalpur district visit programme of the state Food Supplies Minister Krushna Chandra Patra.
While it has been mentioned in the minister’s tour programme that this meeting will be held in the Collector’s Conference Hall, directions have also been given to the authorities to ask all government officials of the district to remain present at this BJP leader’s meeting, he claimed.
Mohanty asked how a BJP in-charge and other party functionaries could hold a meeting in the Collector’s Conference Hall, and why government officials should attend it.
This clearly indicates that the BJP is attempting to convert government offices into its party offices. Across the state, nuisance by BJP leaders and workers in government offices, and attacks on government officials have become a day-to-day occurrence under the BJP rule.
Now, by organising meetings of party functionaries inside government offices, the BJP is trying to exert pressure on government officials and secure the partisan interests of its workers, the statement read.
The BJD alleged that the governance system has reached a stage of collapse, due to which the people of the state have become frustrated.
Therefore, the BJP should refrain from attempting to convert government offices into party offices; otherwise, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) will be forced to take to the streets, he said.
BJP leaders were yet to react to the BJD’s allegations.