The state government had to put up with the Opposition ire in the house over abduction of Italian tourists by the Red rebels. The Opposition demanded an unambiguous statement from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the floor of the house.
“The Kandhamal superintendent of police has informed the media that the two Italian tourists have been missing since March 14. Though the abduction happened on March14, we got to know of the incident only on March 18 through the media. Let the Chief Minister categorically mention in his statement on why the house was kept in the dark even though the government was aware of the incident”, said senior Congress leader and Opposition Chief Whip Prasad Harichandan.
“This incident has international ramifications. Last year, the Maoists had abducted the then Malkangiri collector R Vineel Krishna and the Chief Minister had issued statements on developments related to the abduction. The state government had also signed a pact with the Maoists through their two interlocutors after the kidnapping of the collector. Now, the Maoists have said the government has not valued the agreement. If this is so, this government is responsible for the incident”, he added.
Speaking on the matter, K V Singh Deo, leader of the BJP legislature party said, “The questions arises why such abductions take place when the assembly in session. One needs to know if the abduction of tourists is the design of this government to divert attention of the members of the house from core issues. Let the Chief Minister issue a statement on what steps the government is taking to ensure safety and security of the tourists.”
The Chief Minister said he had spoken to the Union external affairs minister S M Krishna and Union home minister P Chidambaram on Sunday, informing the ministers on the abduction incident.
“I reviewed the matter on Sunday at a meeting at the secretariat with the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police, principal secretary (home) and other senior officials. I have appealed through the media to the abductors to release both the kidnapped persons immediately and to see that they are unharmed. I have also indicated that the state government is willing to hold discussions with the abductors on this very serious matter at the earliest”, he stated.
Patnaik informed two Italian nationals- Paolo Bosusco and Claudio Colangelo have been abducted by a group of Left-wing extremists on March 17 through the media. The two Italians were visiting some areas in Daringibadi tehsil of Kandhamal district from March 12.
While Bosusco has been staying in India for the last 19 years in Puri and is running a travel agency named 'Orissa Adventurous Trekking', Colangelo is a tourist from Italy, he said.