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 BRAHMANIGAON (KANDHAMAL DIST): Leaders of different opposition [political] parties are unanimous in their finding that the BJP and the Sangh Parivar were the root cause behind the recent communal violence in Kandhamal district.
The State government had lifted restrictions on entry of leaders of political parties into Kandhamal district. Following it leaders of CPI(M), CPI, Congress, OGP, JMM, RJD of the State reached Phulbani, the district headquarters town of Kandhamal district on Saturday. On Sunday they visited violence-hit areas like Khajuripada, Daringbadi, Baliguda and Barkhama before reaching Brahmanigaon in the afternoon. A clash over a decorative arch for the Christmas celebrations on December 24 led to large-scale communal violence and attacks on churches throughout the district. A fact-finding team of the Congress also visited the areas, which will submit its report to the party high command Sonia Gandhi. The leaders of the opposition parties visited the ransacked church and houses of families of both communities, which were devastated by communal violence at Brahmanigaon. They also inspected the relief operation.
‘Planned move’ State CPI(M) general secretary Janardan Pati said the recent communal violence in Kandhamal district was a planned move by the Sangh Parivar to test Gujarat experiment of communalism in Orissa. He urged the 80-year-old VHP leader, Laxmananda Saraswati, who was alleged to be the root cause of communal tension in the district, to try to bring in peace and unity in the district rather than dividing people on communal issues. The CPI(M) State polit bureau member, Ali Kishore Patnaik, said the State government was protecting the Sangh Parivar as BJP was part of the ruling alliance.
State Congress chief Jayadev Jena also alleged that the Sangh Parivar activists led by Laxmanananda Saraswati were instigators of communal violence in the district and the State government did not take security measures before Christmas celebrations to thwart the plans of the Sangh Parivar. CPI MLA N. Narayan Reddy alleged that the administration and police had failed to instil confidence in the minority community as at many places the victim families said the miscreants attacked their houses and church in the presence of the police.
Former chief minister and Congress leader Hemananda Biswal alleged that the government machinery was busy in suppressing facts related to communal violence in Kandhmal district. Deputy leader of the opposition in the State Assembly, Narasingha Mishra, demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on moral grounds for the communal violence in Kandhamal district. All opposition leaders opined that the two visits of the Chief Minister to Kandhmal district after the start of communal violence was just an eye-wash as he never interacted with the victims. (Source: The Hindu, Jan. 14, 2008, http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/14/stories/2008011453260300.htm) |
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