Bhubaneswar: Blaming Naveen Patnaik for
prolonged violence in Kandhamal after the killing of VHP
leader Laxmanananda Saraswati in 2008, senior BJP leader B B
Harichandan today said the Orissa chief minister`s "over
dependency" on bureaucracy worsened the situation.
Deposing before the Commission of Inquiry headed by
Justice S C Mohapatra here, Harichandan said, "The chief
minister ignored views of ministers and acted on the advice of
some bureaucrats which worsened the situation in Kandhamal."
Harichandan was law and revenue minister in the Naveen
Patnaik government from 2004 to 2009 during which at least 43
people were killed in violence in Kandhamal.
Claiming that he had asked the chief minister to
enhance security of Saraswati who received a threat letter on
August 21, 2008, Harichandan said, "I had suggested the CM to
increase Saraswati`s security. He did not take any action."
"Had Saraswati not been killed, there would not have
been a riot in Kandhamal in 2008," he said alleging that the
chief minister also did not convene a cabinet meeting to
discuss the situation in the aftermath of Saraswati`s killing.
Patnaik also did not hold any all party
meeting on Kandhamal situation. "I had suggested to Patnaik to
make political intervention in the grave situation in
Kandhamal. But, he said he will look into it."
Instead of taking cabinet ministers or politicians
into confidence, Patnaik chose to take suggestions from a
handful of officers, the BJP leader alleged adding though the
Kandhamal situation created ripples at international level, it
was never discussed in the state cabinet.
"I had also told Patnaik that politicians of different
parties could be helpful in controlling the riot situation in
Kandhamal. However, the chief minister chose to depend on
officers thus lingering the situation," Harichandan said.
The communal violence in Kandhamal continued for over
a month only because of "bad handling" of the situation by the
chief minister who also held home portfolio, he said.
"Harichandan was summoned by the Commission as he was
a senior member of the BJD-BJP coalition government then. He
replied on how the state government handled the Kandhamal
situation," Justice Mohapatra told reporters.
Harichandan`s deposition will continue tomorrow.
CPI state secretary Dibakar Nayak, however, during his
deposition before the Commission yesterday had blamed the
Sangh Parivar for the violence in Kandhamal.
"It was a state sponsored riot in Kandhamal," Nayak
had told the commission.
PTI
