Article on Pranab's victory triggers off row

An article recently published in a national English daily on the victory of Pranab Mukherjee in the just-concluded presidential elections has triggered off a controversy in Odisha.

 A socio-political organisation has lodged a police complaint here against the writer as well as the editor and publisher of the New Delhi headquartered newspaper.

Taking strong objections to the contents of the article, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) also threatened to take the matter to the Press Council of India.

In the article, the columnist reportedly said that the victory of Mukherjee not only upset the Odisha government and the Odias living there but it also took away their sleep.Kalinga Sena, the organisation which filed the complaint, said the main purpose of the article seemed to be creating unnecessary bitterness among the people of two neighbouring states of Odisha and West Bengal who “always had excellent relationship and lived peacefully”. The criticism from the BJD was much stronger and forceful. “The article is not only in bad taste and divisive in nature but it also reflects the perverse mentality and lack of cultured upbringing of the writer,” a senior leader of the regional outfit and vice-president of the party Damodar Rout said in a statement.