To an added discomfiture of the already defensive ruling BJD and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the Winter Session of the State Assembly is scheduled to begin from Thursday when the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) probe into the mega chit fund scam is going on in full force.
Despite the BJD commanding a large majority of 117 members in an Assembly of 147, the Patnaik Government is under pressure in the wake of the arrest of the BJD’s Mayurbhanj MP Ramchandra Hansdah, Banki MlA Pravat Tripathy and former Keonjhar MlA Subarna Naik for their alleged links with either of two fraud ponzi companies Artha Tatwa (AT) Group and Navadiganta Services.
The Government’s defensiveness is illustrated by its indefensible stand, as stated in an affidavit in the Supreme Court, that no BJD politicians were involved in the chit fund scam. The apex court was apparently not convinced by the Government’s claim as the court, in response to a PIl, ordered the ongoing CBI inquiry into the fraud that duped lakhs of poor investors of thousands of crores of rupees.
The Assembly session is being held at a time when the fraudulent affairs of the State’s biggest ponzi firm Seashore Group have just come under the CBI’s scanner. And it is expected that many more BJD leaders, including MlAs and Ministers, are to be nailed by the Central probe agency as Seashore flourished phenomenally with their patronage. Even the Chief Minister is known to have encouraged the company by his public appearance at one of its functions in Bhubaneswar.
No wonder, the Opposition Congress and BJP are on the offensive to mount attack on the Government in the House on the star issue of the chit fund scam with the ammunition provided by the results of the CBI probe. And the Opposition forces would certainly be emboldened further by the exposes made by the CBI’s new findings by way of its investigation during the very period of the Assembly session.
The BJD is expected to parrot its stand that its supremo Patnaik is not sparing anyone for their questionable conduct as is evident from the suspension of the MP, the MlA and others from the party in connection with the chit fund scandal.
But the ruling party’s contention is blunted by at least one fact that the Government had sworn in court of law that no party leader had any link with the tainted firms.
The next issue that would hound the Government is the scams involving Rajya Sabha BJD member Kalpataru Das and his BJD MlA-son Pranab Balabantaray. While the father was clearly caught illegally acquiring Government land at Ghangapatna on Bhubaneswar’s outskirts, junior Das was found taking Government houses in the State capital for the family under discretionary quota in highly irregular manner.
The Opposition, in the process of attacking the Government on this issue, would, in fitness of things, also refer to the irregular ways in which two Ministers, Bikram Keshari Arukh and Sanjay Dasburma, too had taken more than one Government house.
Besides such immediate subjects, there are also several other weapons in the Opposition’s armoury to take on the Government. The huge mining scam, the worsening law and order, the Government’s inability to spend funds meant for various schemes and the farmers’ plight are the issues that are expected to figure during the session.