Interestingly, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the BJP is battling for IMFA Company, a unit owned by the family…
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan (Photo: Facebook/File)
Interestingly, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the BJP is battling for IMFA Company, a unit owned by the family of BJD MP Baijayanta Panda, that is closed due to unrest since last fortnight at the plant site in Therubali.
Pradhan took a swipe at Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday by tweeting that industrialist Ratan Tata who shared the dias with the CM at two functions in Odisha since yesterday should request Patnaik to intervene and resolve the IMFA deadlock.
Since Mr Ratan Tata is one of the tallest industrialist of the country and he has had the bitter experience of Singur, he needs to tell CM Naveen Patnaik how such sponsored agitation and closure of industries sends all the wrong signals hindering flow of investment to any state.
Advertisement
It is clear that the agitation in front of IMFA at Therubali is an act of revenge and narrow mean minded politics, noted Pradhan while implicitly referring to the fact that Baijayanta Panda had fallen out of favour of the BJD high command and suspended from the party.
IMFA was established in 1961 by one of Odisha’s first leading and successful industrialist Dr Bansidar Panda. Over the last fortnight, protestors have blocked the plant’s main gate and laid siege to it.
Meanwhile, Ortel Communications, also owned by the Panda family is also facing the heat since the last couple of weeks. There have been protests in front of the Ortel office and at Berhampur search was conducted by civic authorities in connection with certain alleged violations.
Advertisement
