Jul 23, 2011,
BHUBANESWAR: Alleging that he was denied food along with others at an official meeting due to "caste discrimination", the ruling BJD MLA Kashinath Mallik today sought intervention of Orissa assembly speaker. Mallik, who represented Daspall in the assembly, met the speaker Pradip Kumar Amat and drew his attention towards the discrimination.

"While three other MLAs of Nayagarh district and Kandhamal MP were served food at a room with dignity, I was given food in a leaf plate outside," Mallik said in a written complaint to the speaker. The alleged incident took place when Mallik was attending a meeting convened by the project director of District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) on July 20. Besides three MLAs and one MP, the district collector and PD, DRDA attended the meeting.
"I feel humiliated and do not understand why such thing happens to me alone," Mallik informed that the district authorities meted such behaviour to him as he belonged to scheduled caste.

Mallik had earlier lodged a complaint with police against Kandhamal MP Rudra Madhav Ray accusing him of publicly humiliating him by taking name of his caste.

"The allegation made by the MLA is untrue. We had invited him to dine with others. But he did not come to the room. Above all the PD, DRDA has said "sorry" to him if he was hurt," Nayagarh district collector Aravind Agarwal said over phone.