Naveen doesn't learn from Didi

Despite facing the chit fund scam arising out of the Saradha Group’s fraud, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ensured her Trinamool Congress’ victory in the recent Howrah lok Sabha by-election, which has many poignant messages for her Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik and his Biju Janata Dal ahead of the coming general elections in the State.

This is so because Patnaik faces opposition political parties’ flak for his inefficient handling of the series of chit fund scams in the State with the investors up in arms due to the uncertainty over refund of their hard-earned money. More significantly, Patnaik is in the dock in the face of a chit fund company chief’s “revelation” that some Ministers and ruling BJD MlAs were recipients of his slush money obviously to protect and promote his tainted business.

It is to be noted as to how Mamata Banerjee has won the confidence of the people of her State and how Patnaik has failed to do so. According political observers, the result of the Howrah by-poll is a kind of trust vote for Banerjee in the wake of the chit fund scam in West Bengal. Unlike Patnaik, the West Bengal Chief Minister took up the chit fund issue seriously and herself handled the case politically instead of depending on her Finance Minister or any other senior Ministers.

Secondly, Banerjee announced setting up a corpus fund to ensure that the poor investors get back their money. She made the announcement despite knowing that the State exchequer is in a bad shape. Thirdly, Banerjee promised people of her State that she would stand by those who have been duped by the fraudulent companies. Patnaik, on his part, is yet to himself give a definite assurance to the people cheated by the chit fund firms in Odisha.

For the first time, on his return from New Delhi on Thursday, Patnaik said the duped people may get some relief if the State’s Bill for protection of investors’ interests gets the assent of the President of India. This seems to be another exercise by him to shift the blame over an issue to the Centre.

On the contrary, what the frustrated investors want is a certain assurance from Patnaik.

Announcing a corpus fund may salvage Patnaik’s Government from the present situation, say observers.