The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which is on the defensive in the chit fund scam issue particularly after party supremo Naveen Patnaik’s Man Friday Saroj Kumar Sahu’s interrogation by the CBI,
is now on a mode of politicising the Central Investigating agency’s probe into the scandal that has robbed lakhs of poor investors of crores of rupees.
A day after Sahu’s appearance before the CBI, BJD spokesperson Pratap Deb on Sunday labouriously tried to defend Naveen Patnaik by making light of the Sahu episode. Despite Sahu being officially and widely known as Patnaik’s closest aide at the latter’s residence, Naveen Nivas, Deb as well as
Minister Damodar Rout described Sahu as a mere BJD party office secretary and a party “worker”.
Deb alleged that the BJP, which is ruling at the Centre, is using Rajya Sabha Independent member and Odisha Jan Motcha president Pyarimohan Mohapatra as a conduit in the CBI’s investigation process for political reasons.
Mohapatra, on the other hand, while rubbishing Deb’s charge, asserted that he is assisting the CBI in digging out the truth about the chit fund scam in the public interest.
Notably, none of the BJD leaders, especially party chief Patnaik, has made a public statement of the fact that Sahu has been debarred from the Naveen Nivas after his deposition to the CBI. Nor did any BJD leader react to the media reports that Sahu rose from rags to riches during a short period and purchased a building, not far from the Naveen Nivas, at a cost of `55 lakh.