The Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Tuesday urged Governor SC Jamir to recommend President’s Rule in the State by invoking the Section 356 of the Constitution following the exposure by the Justice MB Shah Commission of the dubious role of the State Government in the systematic illegal mining worth thousands of crores of rupees.
In a memorandum submitted to the Governor, OPCC president Jayadev Jena said the continuance of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in office is not tenable either constitutionally or morally as he has misused power, betrayed public trust and plundered national resources violating his constitutional obligations.
Jena, who led a delegation to the Raj Bhawan, urged the Governor to intervene and recommend for imposition of President’s Rule in the State and bring Naveen Patnaik and his associates to justice in the mining scam. The memorandum said the Shah Commission has indicted the Patnaik Government for the mining loot and has also suggested recovery of Rs 60,000 crore which the State lost due to illegal mining.
The memorandum also said that though the Shah Commission has recommended for a CBI inquiry into the scam, the BJD Government which swears by transparency has so far expressed its reluctance to hand over the case to the Central investigating agency.
This confirms the alleged complicity of the Government in the scam, the memorandum said, and demanded that the Governor hand over all illegal mining-related cases to the CBI to dig out the truth by using his authority as the head of the State.