Amid protests by the BJP, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik visited Kalahandi on November 8 for a government programme and shared the dais with Minister Dibya Shankar Mishra, accused of patronising the prime accused in the murder of a woman teacher in the district last month.
Mr. Patnaik, who has been maintaining silence over the demand for the sacking of the Minister of State for Home, sent a clear message to opposition parties that he has faith in Mr. Mishra.
The BJP and the Congress criticised the Chief Minister saying it is clear that Mr. Patnaik is trying to protect Mr. Mishra and claimed it is a "black day" for Odisha politics.
Mr. Patnaik launched the distribution of smart cards for the State government's health scheme, the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BKSY), at the Agriculture College Ground at Bhawanipatna, headquarters of Kalahandi, besides inaugurating several projects and laying foundation stones for some others.
Mr. Mishra, who is the MLA of Junagarh in Kalahandi, and two other ministers — Naba Kisore Das and Tukuni Sahu — were on the stage along with the Chief Minister.
BJD supporters took out a motorcycle rally to welcome Mr. Patnaik, while there was tight police security at several strategic locations in Bhawanipatna to ensure that his visit was peaceful.
In protest against Mr. Patnaik’s visit, massive demonstrations were held by the BJP across the State, particularly in Kalahandi where party workers staged sit-ins, shouted ‘go back’ slogans against the Chief Minister and Mr. Mishra, and waved black flags.
The saffron party members burnt effigies of Mr. Patnaik and Mr. Mishra in districts, demanding the latter’s removal as a Minister, his arrest and a CBI probe into the case.
They staged a gherao in front of several civic bodies, including the Cuttack Municipal Corporation. Protesters scuffled with police at various places, while many opposition workers were detained as a preventive measure.
Unidentified protesters threw eggs at the car of Women and Child Development Minister Tukuni Sahu when she was returning from the BSKY programme.
In Sambalpur, police used water cannon to disperse the BJP workers who tried to break the barricade and gherao the office of the Northern Range deputy inspector general of police.
Around 15 leaders of the party, including the MLAs of Sambalpur and Rengali, were detained, police said.
“Naveen Patnaik disregarded the sentiment of the people and allowed him [Mishra] to sit on the stage at Bhawanipatna. It is now clear that the State government is trying to protect Mishra,” Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) State president Irasis Acharya said.
The Congress also condemned Mr. Mishra’s presence at the event, terming it a “black day” in the history of Odisha politics.
At a press conference, Congress spokesperson Nishikant Mishra alleged the State government was protecting the “main conspirator” Dibya Shankar Mishra.
The Congress leader demanded his resignation, claiming that there would be no fair probe otherwise.
Opposition parties are mounting pressure on Mr. Patnaik to sack Mr. Mishra from the council of ministers alleging that he is close to the prime accused in the murder of the woman teacher and that was why he was able to escape on October 17 night from Titlagarh police barrack in Bolangir district, where he was kept in detention in connection with her "abduction". He was arrested two days later.
The 24-year-old lady teacher of a private school in Kalahandi district went missing on October 8 and her half-burnt decomposed body was exhumed from the playground of the school where she worked on October 19. The police have so far arrested two persons including the prime accused who, according to DIG (Northern Range) Deepak Kumar, has confessed to the crime.
It is alleged that the prime accused had a grudge against the teacher as she was aware of his two extra-marital affairs and had warned that she would expose him.
At the programme, Mr. Patnaik distributed the BSKY smart health cards to the beneficiaries.
Under the scheme, the Odisha government bears full cost of all healthcare services delivered to patients in all State government healthcare facilities.
The card provides annual health coverage of ₹5 lakh per family and an additional coverage of ₹5 lakh for women members in empanelled private hospitals for economically vulnerable families, according to its website.
“Around 14 lakh people of the district will benefit from the BSKY. One doesn’t need to give any document in hospitals and only the smart health card would suffice,” Mr. Patnaik said.
One can also use the BSKY smart cards in 200 hospitals across the country, the Chief Minister added.
He also laid foundation stones for 48 projects valued at ₹680 crore and inaugurated 201 projects worth ₹179 crore. The projects include drinking water supply, roads, bridges, power supply and urban development.
Mr. Patnaik said Kalahandi now turned into an education hub with agriculture, engineering and polytechnic colleges, and a university.
The construction of the 100-seat government medical college was nearing completion, he said.
In the evening, Mr. Patnaik also launched the BSKY cards in Nuapada, and inaugurated and laid the foundation for development projects worth ₹479 crore in the district.
Mr. Patnaik had visited several districts such as Malkangiri, Sundergarh, Bolangir, Gajapati, Deogarh and Puri to launch card distribution programmes earlier.
