After the Shah Commission has indicted both the State and Central Governments on the mining scam, the State’s Opposition political entities seem fully geared up to attack the ‘clean’ image of BJD Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik ahead of the fast-approaching general elections.
Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Jayadev Jena on Monday demanded the resignation and arrest of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik basing the report of the Commission. Addressing a Press conference here on Friday, Jena said that the Commission has recommended a CBI probe into the scam and recovery of Rs60,000 crore from the miners.
According to the Commission, iron ore worth over Rs45,453 crore and manganese ore worth over Rs3,089 crore were extracted illegally and without lawful authority by the miners in the State in violation of the Government guidelines. It also found large-scale violation of environment and forest laws, rules and notifications. Out of 192 mining lessees of iron and manganese ores in the State, 130 were noted to be doing production without lawful authority, Jena charged, demanding the resignation of the CM on the ground that the illegal transactions were carried on under his very nose.
Sharpening his attack on the CM for going slack on the illegal miners, Jena said that criminal cases should be initiated against Patnaik. At the same time, he threatened that the Congress would hold demonstration across the State on January 7 to protest the BJD Government’s silence over the colossal mining loot and mount pressure on Chief Minister Patnaik to step down.
Senior Congress leader and former Minister Narasingh Mishra joined the chorus over removal of Patnaik. He said Shah Commission’s recommendation to the State Government to recover over Rs60,000 crore from the miners in lieu of the mineral loot proves that the allegations of illegal mining and the culpability of the BJD Government are true. Congress Chief Whip in Assembly Prasad Harichandan stated BJP was an ally of the BJD Government when the mining loot took place. Hence, both the BJP and BJD are equally responsible for the scam. He rebuffed State BJP president Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo for linking Congress with the mining loot.
State BJP also on Friday demanded that CM Patnaik should quit the office immediately and face a CBI probe to prove his “Mr Clean” image. Since mining loot was established from day one, Patnaik has no moral right to continue in the office for a single day, said BJP state president KV Singh Deo.
Addressing a Press conference here at the party headquarters, Singh Deo said that as per the media reports, the Justice Shah Commission in its final report to the Central Government had vindicated BJP’s charge that both the State and the Central Governments were involved in the mining loot in Odisha.
The CM is directly involved in the mining loot as Patnaik has been the final decision making authority in all mining related cases being in charge of the Steel and Mines Department since 2002, Singh Deo said, adding Patnaik can by no means absolve himself of the omissions and commissions.
“Even now many months after the Shah Commission probe all the mines near the Baitarani are still operating in connivance with the State machinery,” Sing Deo charged. Odisha Jan Morcha (OJM) president Pyarimohan Mohapatra on Friday at a member induction meeting too demanded Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s resignation, citing his Government’s failure in protecting mines from the colossal loot. If the Chief Minister has the slightest of morality, he should resign from his post immediately, demanded Mohapatra.
Earlier, former Women and Child Development Minister Pramila Mallick had resigned from her post on moral ground pertaining to the pulse scam. She was asked to resign from her post because she had signed on the files being at the helm of affairs. Similarly, the OJM chief said the CM had signed each and every file related with mines before the illegal transactions took place.
So, the Chief Minister should apply the same principle to him that was applied to former Minister Mallick and put in his papers, he said.
Mohapatra also demanded CBI inquiry into the illegal mining case in the State and completion of the probe before the elections. All the people including the CM involved in the case should be arrested and tried in a fast track court, he maintained.
He alleged that the BJD has secret understanding with the Congress at the national level for which CBI inquiries into the Sainik mining deal and Jindal case monitored by the Supreme Court were deliberately made to move slowly.
“If those investigations were completed in time, Naveen Babu would be languishing in jail now and not flying around in helicopter,” said Mohapatra.