The BJD on Tuesday strongly denounced the arrest of its MlA Pravat Biswal by the CBI and termed it as political vendetta by the BJP Government at the Centre.
BJD vice-president Prasana Acharya, addressing a Press meet here, said the Union Government is using Central organisations like the CBI, Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department in its political interests and to harass the rivals. This has been witnessed in several places of the country. In Odisha too, the CBI is being used as a political weapon, which has not only reduced the people’s faith on the investigating agency but has exposed the BJP Government’s cheap conspiracy, Acharya said.
“BJP national president Amit Shah during his last Odisha visit, in a meeting had threatened that the BJD leaders would be sent to jail one by one. It is now proved the BJP is using the CBI for political revenge. But the BJD and the people of Odisha are not cowed down. If required, we will take to the streets. The BJP’s political move will be answered at the political level,” said Acharya.
People’s hope and faith on Naveen Patnaik’s leadership has increased tremendously among the people of Odisha. Frustrated with this the BJP is using the CBI as a weapon to settle political scores. This would boomerang for the Odisha BJP, said party vice- president Shashi Bhusan Behera. Rajya Sabha member Pratap Keshari Deo and Minister Maheswar Mohanty also slammed the BJP and condemned the arrest of Biswal for his links with Seashore Group.
On the other hand, BJP MlA Pradeep Kumar Purohit said Biswal’s arrest has triggered panic in the BJD. Earlier, the party used to suspend an MlA and an MP when they were arrested by the CBI and it used to say that law would take its own course. But in Biswal’s case, the BJD has changed its position. This has exposed its double standards. Now, they know that more BJD would be arrested. For this, they want to pressurise the CBI. Senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik said, “We have nothing to say about the arrest. The CBI must be having some proof. But due to its working style, people are suspecting its impartiality. The CBI should not be used to settle the fight between BJP and BJD.”
BJP leader Bijay Mahapatra said, “What was CBI doing all these yearsIJ Biswal should have been arrested earlier. I had said that CBI probe had slowed down. Now also, I say the probe is still slow.”