AICC member flays Naveen on Kandhmal violence

Bhubaneswar, Sep 11 (UNI) AICC member and former Uttarakhand minister Dhirendra Pratap today demanded dismissal of the Naveen Patnaik government for 'failing' to contain communal violence in Kandhmal.

Mr Pratap, who led a four-member delegation to the riot-hit Kandhmal,submitted a memorandum to Orissa Governor M C Bhandare requesting him to intervene in the unabated violence in Kandhmal.

''The BJD-BJP government in the state has completely failed in protecting not only the life of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati but also the lives and property of the minority community,'' he said.

The AICC member demanded a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the next kin of those killed in Kandhmal violence besides, a job to one member of the victim's family.

He criticised the Naveen Patnaik government for allowing VHP leader Praveen Togadia to visit trouble-torn Kandhmal while denying the Union Minister of state for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal to visit the area and assess the prevailing situation there.

Mr Pratap said the delegation would submit a report to AICC President Sonia Gandhi and urged President Pratibha Patil to immediately intervene and restore peace in Kandhmal.

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