The petition of the CBI to the Supreme Court to get access to the files relating to Hindalco’s coal block allocation from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to investigate the involvement of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik would further expose the “unholy nexus of the CM and Hindalco”, said BJP State president KV Singh Deo here on Wednesday.
Singh Deo said the BJD Government headed by Patnaik had strongly urged the Centre to grant the coal block to Hindalco of the Aditya Birla Group. Patnaik had written to the Prime Minister stating that the Hindalco project would lead to more jobs and industrial growth than the Central PSU NlC’s power-generating plant. But the fact is that the Birla Trust donated an amount of Rs 7.53 crore to the BJD in three instalments before and after the 2009 general elections. It speaks a lot of the ‘quid pro quo’.
BJD leaders are leaving no stone unturned to mislead the people about the issue. While the CM’s recommendation letter to the PMO spoke of development of the State, the State Government’s affidavit to the Supreme Court and statements of BJD leaders are contradictory, Singh Deo said, pointing out that the PMO has never in its statement exonerated the CM for making the selective recommendation in Hindalco’s favour.
The BJP is not against recommendation for any project, but why such a selective approach was made when it is claimed to be related to the State’s interestIJ Why there was no recommendation for other applicants in the same line, Singh Deo asked.
The Screening Committee, in which the State Mines Secretary was a member, had rejected the proposal of Hindalco, but on what basis the CM later made the recommendationIJ His selective favouritism to a few companies has exposed his modus operandi where he put his vested interest above the State’s interest, Singh Deo alleged.