Protesters alleged BJD is selecting only those who support them in the food security scheme
The opposition Congress's workers hurled tomatoes at Odisha transport minister Nrusingha Sahu while he was in Kendrapara district's Rajnagar to attend a meeting, the ruling Biju Janata Dal has alleged.
Mr Sahu was on his way to attend the meeting for distribution of ration cards of BJD government's food security scheme when some Congress workers started throwing tomatoes at his motorcade at Trinath Bazan in Rajnagar, the BJD alleged.
Some local TV channels ran videos showing what they claimed to be Congress workers throwing tomatoes at the minister.
The protesters alleged the ruling party is selecting only those who support them in the food security scheme. They alleged that genuine beneficiaries who should have figured in the list were left out while people owing allegiance to the BJD sneaked into the list on directions from local leaders.
Kendrapara senior police officer Niti Sekhar said some 100 people have been taken under preventive custody, but no report of tomatoes being thrown at the minister's cavalcade has come.