Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today termed the reported threat of the UPA government to invoke article 355 of the constitution against Orissa on the issue of communal violence in Kandhamal district as ‘unfortunate’ and ‘politically motivated’.
Reacting to news reports that the Union government is contemplating to invoke article 355 of the constitution against Orissa and Karnataka in the wake of recent communal violence, Patnaik said, the Centre is scheming against two states ruled by non-Congress parties.
While there were disturbances across the country, the non- Congress states are being targeted. The chief minister said, Orissa has done its best to try to bring back peace and normalcy in trouble-torn Kandhamal district from the very beginning of the tragic incident.
But the Centre is not deputing adequate forces as demanded by the state. ’Even now we have not received adequate forces from the Centre for Kandhamal,’ he observed. Accusing the Centre for being 'very slow' in sending paramilitary forces to Kandhamal, he said, despite several requests from the state government, Centre has not sent adequate force.
Senior BJP leader and the state revenue and disaster management minister Manmohan Samal came down heavily on the UPA government’s threat to proclaim article 355 stating that the party will decide how to fight this illogical move.