Bhubaneswar: With less than a year left for the general elections in 2024, political parties both ruling and the opposition in Odisha are in no mood to miss out on any opportunity to connect with voters.
The opposition parties have been critical of the Odisha government over the recent frequent power outages in different parts of the state while heat wave conditions and humidity made life miserable for the people.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the main opposition party in the state today launched a state-wide agitation by staging demonstrations in front of Tata Power (power Distribution Company in the state) offices across the state to protest against the undeclared power cuts.
The BJP had earlier announced to hold such demonstrations for two days against the frequent power cuts by the power distribution company. BJP activists holding traditional hand fans and lanterns in their hands gheraoed Tata Power offices in different places across the state alleging that frequent power cuts were making life miserable for the people.
BJP leaders questioned the state government’s claim of being a power surplus state.
On the other hand, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) activists staged a dharna in front of the Raj Bhawan protesting against the increase in the price of domestic LPG cylinders.
A delegation of the BJD met the Governor and submitted a memorandum addressed to the President protesting against the price hike in LPG cylinders.
The BJD has alleged that while cooking gas cylinder refill was priced at Rs 420 in 2014, it is currently priced at Rs 1130, a nearly three-fold increase in nine years.
BJD activists threatened to take the agitation to panchayat and block level if the Central government failed to immediately reduce the price of domestic LPG.
