BJD trying to mislead Dalits, tribals with false claims on reservation: Pradhan

Bhubaneswar: Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday alleged the ruling BJD in Odisha was trying to mislead Dalits and tribals over reservation by resorting to lies.

Speaking to reporters, Pradhan also sought action against BJD’s candidate for Nabarangpur Lok Sabha seat Pradeep Majhi who alleged at an election rally in Kotpad that the BJP will end reservation if it returns to power.

“It is unfortunate that Majhi has made such a statement without verifying the authenticity of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s video. During the election campaign, BJD has a habit of spreading falsehood and resorting to lies. I appeal to the CEO to initiate action against Majhi,” he said.

BJP’s Nabrangpur candidate Balabhadra Majhi claimed the BJD candidate had quoted Shah from a doctored video.

“Pradeep Majhi claimed that Shah had said in Telangana a few days back that the BJP would end reservation if it is re-elected. It has been proved that the video of Shah posted on social media was doctored and fake,” he said.

He alleged that despite being proven fake, the BJD has been using the video to mislead innocent voters in remote areas.

The BJP also filed a complaint against Pradeep Majhi at the Bhubaneswar cyber police station.

Pradeep Majhi refused to comment on the matter.