Odisha minister made derogatory remark: BJP MLA

A BJP MLA Thursday alleged that Odisha Agriculture Minister Pradeep Maharathy has made a derogatory remark against her in the state assembly and sought his apology.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Radharani Panda alleged that Maharathy made some derogatory remark against her when she was demanding resignation of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over the chit fund scam.

"I was raising my voice by holding a placard against the chief minister. In the meantime, some BJD (Biju Janata Dal) leaders including the agriculture minister came towards me. The minister made some disrespectful remark against me," Panda told reporters.

After the incident, a meeting was held at the BJP office here and it was decided that the party would urge the speaker to ask Maharathy to apologize for his remark.

The BJP MLAs also protested near the podium of the speaker, seeking apology from the agriculture minister. However, the minister denied having made such a comment.

"I have not shown any disrespect to the BJP MLA and made any such comment. You can check the records in the state assembly. She is like a sister to me," Maharathy told reporters.