Bhubaneswar Feb 28 : It was a relatively hotter February this year not due to rising mercury but more due to the political activities, rallies and meetings across the State.
As the month virtually began with a visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to dedicate the refinery of Indian oil Corporation at Paradip, a race for claiming credit for the project began among the three major political parties – BJD, Congress and BJP.
BJP made a lot of efforts to take the sole credit for the project claiming that the project was possible due to the efforts of former NDA Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and the initiatives of present Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Petroleum & Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan got embroiled in controversies due to his enthusiasm as he virtually camped in the State for nearly a fortnight to ensure that everything went well.
But with the seizure of some publicity vans used to invite the people to the dedication programme –for carrying photographs of Pradhan – the media was abuzz with the claims, counter claims, allegations and complaints filed with police.
The situation was such a few days prior to the programme that apprehensions were raised about Modi’s visit.
The clash between supporters of BJP and BJD on the outskirts of Kendrapara virtually spoilt the mood and provided fodder to the media for panel discussions and special stories.
The assaults on Niali MLA Pramod Mallick reached the police station.
