leader of newly-formed Samata Kranti Dal and former Union Minister Braj Kishore Tripathy on Thursday came down heavily upon the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD Government for having perpetuated another mega scam involving embezzlement of Rs 10,000 crore which was deposited in the chit fund companies by about 20 lakh people of the State.
Tripathy told a news conference here that the Central Government had passed an Act way back in 1978 banning “The Prize Chits and Money Circulation Scheme” in all States. Therefore, the Odisha Government SSG Cooperatives Act, 2001 was quite unwarranted and obnoxious. “It may be out of their ignorance or a deliberate attempt behind framing the law as an act of deceit and cunning to help the chit fund players,” he remarked.
He pointed out that till May 2013 as many as 1,734 cooperatives were registered in Odisha after this Act was made.
Out of these, 929 credit cooperative societies and 18 cooperative societies obtained the permission of Government of India as multi-state cooperative organisations.
When the Act of 2001 was quite ultra virus and abominable, the frauds of Rs 10,000 crore siphoned away from the poor hapless people proves that the onus lies not only with the chit fund players but also with Naveen Patnaik and his Government, he said.
“The Chief Minister should devise a corpus fund to pay back the depositors their hard-earned money. The State Government without following the Central Rule floated a Bill named ‘The Odisha Protection of Interest of Depositors (In Financial Establishment) 2011’ and, after having got it passed on the Assembly, sent it to the President for his assent in 2912. By this, the State Government is trying to hoodwink the public. In this Bill, there is no provision for defending the interests of the chit fund depositors,” he asserted.
Tripathy said the State Government is denying a CBI probe into the chit fund scams and has, instead, declared that the matter would be probed by a sitting High Court Judge, which is yet to happen.
Tripathy also alleged that the Central Government is too a party to the scams since the RBI and the SFIO of the Finance Ministry are not risking to enter areas of investigation of the State Government.
He said that durprisingly enough the Odisha Cooperative Act of 2001 was withdrawn by promulgating an ordinance without discussing the matter on the floor of the Assembly. This Act is now nonexistent since June 6, 2013. “If it was a genuine law, why have you made it inoperative in a sick hurry before a judicial inquiry begins,” Tripathy questioned hinting at the Chief Minister.
Among others present at the Press meet were Samata Kranti Dal acting president Akshay Das, lalit Pattnaik, Manoj Jena and Jayanta Bhoi.