The Congress, the BJD and the AAP have now targeted Rourkela BJP MlA Dilip Ray after Ray, who was Union Minister of State for Coal during the erstwhile National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government in 1999, was summoned as an accused along with five others in connection with a coal block allocation case by the Patiala House Special Court,.
The Congress demanded Ray’s resignation as an MlA. DCC president Biren Senapati said Ray should quit on moral ground till he is proved innocent.
BJD spokesman Sudam Dash said it is now not difficult why Prime Minister AB Vajpayee had removed Ray from his Council of Ministers.
“Ray was unnecessarily telling that it was Naveen Patnaik who got him removed as Union Minister. But BJD as a party honours law,” Dash said exuding confidence that the truth will be revealed a day.
The AAP said the matter is not only a shame for Rourkela, but also a test for BJP and its leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Now it is time to see whether Modi is tolerating a corrupt man in his party or not,” an AAP spokesperson said, demanding that without any delay, the BJP should remove Ray from party till the final verdicts of the court come.
The APP also pointed out that the foundation of coal scam was laid during NDA regime.