BJD walkout: Equidistance or something else
The BJD often speaks of maintaining equidistance from the BJP and the Congress. They proved this by staging a walkout in the lok Sabha knowing well that even if they vote in favour of the no-confidence motion, the Government at the Centre is not going to fall. Though staging a walkout seems to have been the right decision, they could have done this even after participating in the debate by expressing their anguish against the Centre. This they have been doing almost every day in Bhubaneswar on issues like demand for special status State, Mahanadi, Polavaram, MSP et al. The message of protest would have gone to a larger audience across the country though the allotted time for BJD was only 15 minutes. The main opposition party Congress now gets an opportunity for criticizing the BJD on allegations of ‘secret understanding’ with the BJP. The walkout is being referred to also as a walkover against the opponent so as to enable the latter to enjoy the advantage during voting at the end of the day. Be that as it may, it was a loss for the BJD in the ultimate analysis as the decision goes against the interest of the State. A fear psychosis in the BJD camp for the ongoing investigations by the Central agencies into various scams where either the BJD leaders or the Government officers have burnt their fingers might have influenced the decision.
Overdependence on Babus
The Odisha Government’s overdependence on the bureaucracy has come for flak not only from the opposition parties but also from opinion makers of the State, including former bureaucrats. With general elections hardly nine months away, if held on schedule, allotment of money-spinning departments among five senior bureaucrats has raised eyebrows of many who do not enjoy confidence of the CM. The BJD has nearly 18 years experience of winning elections, and going by their achievement over the years, one can safely comment on their money-centric strategy of wooing the voters. Be it rice for Rs 1 per kg or distribution of doles to all and sundry in the shape of blanket, umbrella, chappal, mobile, laptop, cycle et al, it involves huge amount of funds, mostly from the Government exchequer in the name of welfare schemes, including distribution of cash through candidates fighting election. The third floor of the Secretariat becomes the monitoring cell of the CM. Crores of rupees go into this game of gambling where small fry have no place. The strategy suits the multimillionaires who take advantage of voters’ ignorance because of their illiteracy. Using the IAS officers, who crawl when asked to bend, the ruling party strengthens its funds and the show goes on. A close watch on these bureaucrats can spill more beans in the days ahead.
Rs 20-cr toy purchase scam in AWCs
Yet another scam has been added to the scam tainted Government of the day. This one involves the Anganwadis of the State where the Centre and the State have 60:40 per cent share in allotment of funds.
According to the Anganwadi managers, they have been forced to buy toys from a particular agent for pre-school children without any tender floated for the purpose and the financial deal is alleged to be to the tune of around Rs 20 crore. WCD Minister in-charge Prafulla Samal says he has ordered an inquiry into the suspicious deal asking the respective Collectors to submit reports following which actions could be taken. But, is that enough especially when Collectors are known for cleverly corroborating such reports denying the Government’s involvementIJ The opposition parties are up in arms demanding a CBI probe or at least a Crime Branch investigation to put the facts straight. Such questionable deals of the Government in the past and during the present incumbency, has put it on the dock. Ahead of the general elections, it is apparent that the Government would like to come out of this embarrassing situation and restore public confidence.
Nexus with smugglers: Sonepur IIC in dock
One Ujir Khan of Odisha and two others were recently arrested while transporting ganja weighing 27 kg in the Mahasamund police station area on April 23. Ujir and one of his friends Naveen Kumar Agrawal are petty businessmen having links with Srikanta Kumar Tripathy, IIC of Sonepur police Station, who often used them as witnesses in narcotic confiscation matters. These two were known for their close proximity with Tripathy when he was IIC Tarbha for about four years. 48 NDPS cases were registered in Tarbha police station when he was posted as IIC. Agrawal and Ujir were named witness at least in 70 per cent of these cases. Recently one ganja smuggler detained in Sonepur sub-jail has made a startling revelation about Tripathy duping him of Rs 2 lakh when he sought his help to get him released out of such a case. He also alleged that police officials recorded only a small quantity of the ganja seized. On record the quantity was shown as 80 kg whereas the seized material weighed 120 kg. Here also the name of Agrawal surfaces as Tripathy often engaged him to weigh the seizures as he had the scales. On receiving a complaint against Tripathy, Western Range DIG Satyabrat Sahu is said to have initiated an inquiry to get at the truth. There are no shreds of doubt on Tripathy’s complicity in the case, but it needs to be examined whether he has been a victim of conspiracy by those who could not bake their cake during his tenure at Tarbha. DIG Bhoi is intelligent enough to dig out the truth and put them on public domain, soon.