Jena Booed, Chased For Anti-Biju Stand

Union minister for parliamentary affairs Srikanta Jena has become the target of public anger for allegedly taking a stand against the late Biju Patnaik. Jena has faced hostile crowds during his campaign tours in the state, often forcing him to take police protection.

Jena filed his nomination papers for the Kendrapara Lok Sabha seat last week amidst jeers from a belligerent crowd gathered outside the collectorate to attend a meeting of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). Pravat Samatray, a Rajya Sabha MP, is the BJD candidate against Jena.

BJD supporters nurse a grouse against Jena for his alleged anti-Biju Patanik stand, and pelted him with stones and rotten eggs and chased him with lathis. Jena escaped by fleeing into the nearby sub-collectorss office. However, the mob gheraoed the office and raised slogans against him, prompting the police to resort to a mild lathicharge.

 

Jena later went into the collectorate to file his papers amidst police escort.