With the false affidavit row raging, the once sweet relation between Tirtol MlA Rabindra Nath Bhoi and Jagatsinghpur district BJD president and senior MlA Bishnu Das has grown sour.
MlA Bhoi’s assertion that he had just signed on the affidavit paper that Das had told him to do without verifying the information in it has played the spoilsport. Notably, Bhoi has been in the limelight these days for all wrong reasons after the information he furnished in the affidavit during filing of nomination during the 2009 assembly polls were found to be false. He had given false information with regard to his educational qualification.
As the incident has been creating much hue and cry, Congress nominee Raj Kishor Behera who lost elections in Tirtol Assembly seat contesting against BJD candidate Bhoi in 2009 demanded the latter’s resignation. He shot up a letter to the Election Commission of India seeking lawful action against MlA Bhoi who has violated Section 125 (A) of Representation of the People’s Act, 1951 furnishing his incorrect educational background. Congress also threatened to take to streets and hold a massive protest meeting at Tirtol headquarters on Monday.
Meanwhile, both Das and Bhoi have met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday and apprised him about their stand in the false affidavit row. However, sources said MlA Bhoi has failed to establish his original educational qualification till now. According to Bhoi, after matriculation he pursued AMIE course in Chennai but discontinued it due to his poor financial background. But investigations revealed that Bhoi had admitted in the SVM College in 1984 and appeared Plus II examination in 1986 in which he had failed. Since then he had not taken his college leaving certificate from the college till date. Since admitting in AMIE course, Plus II qualification is a prerequisite, there is doubt if Bhoi had actually taken admission in the course.
Admittedly MlA Das had given BJD ticket to Bhoi for contesting in elections in 2009 at the cost of his old friend former Paradip Municipality chairman Govinda Tarai, who was an aspirant for the Tirtol Assembly seat. Bhoi was given ticket after BJD’s selected candidate Rajashree Mallick could not file nomination papers for not having his name in the voter list. After the polls, the relationship between Das and Bhoi was all too good. However, it started to grow strained after Bhoi showed his allegiance to Paradip MlA and Health Minister Damodar Rout who is said to be Bishnu’s tough antagonist. legal position of the incident is that Bhoi is likely be prosecuted under Section 125 (A) of the Representation of the People’s Act, 1951 and also under IPC for falsehood. The punishment could be six months’ imprisonment or fine or both if the allegations are found correct.