Bhubaneswar: As part of a nationwide protest, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) leaders along with thousands of workers tried to ‘gherao’ the office of Enforcement Directorate (ED) here over alleged misuse of central agencies by the BJP-led central government.
Senior Congress leaders, including AICC Odisha in-charge Ajoy Kumar, Koraput MP Saptagiri Ulaka, Congress Legislature Party leader Ramchandra Kadam, MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati, and former Union Minister Srikant Jena, led the demonstration.
During the protest, Congress workers clashed with police while marching towards the ED office. Police made preventive arrests of several Congress leaders but released them later.
Kumar accused the Modi government of using the ED for ‘extortion’ from companies and imprisoning opposition members.
He claimed, “The Modi government has provided money from public sector banks to a specific industrialist, who is using it to acquire our airports.”
Congress MLA Ramesh Jena criticised the BJP government for allegedly trying to undermine Indian democracy through the misuse of central agencies like the ED and CBI.
Bhubaneswar DCP Prateek Singh said extensive security arrangements had been made, including the deployment of 12 platoons of force and police officers from neighboring districts. He noted that police successfully managed the situation, detaining those who attempted to breach the barricades.
In response, BJP spokesperson Manoj Mohapatra argued that the Congress organised the protest to shield its ‘corrupt’ leaders facing ED action.
He commented, “Many leaders from the INDIA bloc are either in jail or out on bail, making this protest a self-preservation effort by the Congress.”
PTI