The controversy between the two political heavyweights from Brahmagiri, Minister Sanjay Dasburma and senior Congress leader and former MlA lalatendu Bidyadhar (lulu) Mohapatra over the ‘Pajero issue’ refused to die down with a huge number of supporters of Dasburma taking out a motorcycle rally from Brahmagiri to Cuttack via Bhubaneswar on Tuesday and submitting a memorandum to the DGP demanding Mohapatra’s arrest.
The rally was organised a day after Congress workers successfully enforced a Brahmagiri Bandh demanding arrest of Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Sanjay Dasburma.
About 2,000 BJD supporters of Dasburma from various places of the State joined the rally.
The rally which originated from Brahmagiri first moved to Puri and then reached Bhubaneswar before reaching Cuttack where Dasburma’s supporters led by Bidyadhar Swain submitted a nine-point charter of demands to DGP KB Singh highlighting the alleged wrongdoings of Mohapatra and also demanding his arrest.
The supporters burnt effigies of the Congress leader in front of the Singhadwar in Puri and also at Master Canteen Square in Bhubaneswar and OMP Square in Cuttack. The road between Master Canteen square and lower PMG was closed and security was tightened to avoid any untoward incident.
“lulu Mohapatra himself has links with various criminal elements including now-arrested former Congress MlA Ramesh Jena and the Dhalsamant brothers. We demand that police arrest him and probe his links,” said Swain.
Both leaders have been at loggerheads after Mohapatra on March 17 alleged that chit fund company Artha Tatwa (AT) Group has gifted a Mitsubishi Pajero to Dasburma. Meanwhile, alleging that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing the multi-crore chit fund scam in the State has slowed down its investigation process due to a ‘nexus’ between the ruling BJD and the BJP at the Centre, various civil society organisations led by RTI activist Pradip Pradhan demanded that the Pajero vehicle controversy involving Dasburma be investigated.
“We demand that the CBI expedite the probe and quiz Dasburma and arrest him for his alleged links with a chit fund company,” said Pradhan.
The activists staged a demonstration in front of the CBI office and submitted a memorandum to the CBI Director to this effect.