Pyarimohan Mohapatra on Tuesday reiterated his earlier statement that he welcomes the CBI probe into the chit fund scam as it would reveal “who has looted Odisha”.
“I welcome the CBI’s investigation. It will dispel the impression that I have earned plenty of money from the scam,” said Mohapatra, the onetime mentor of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and ace strategist of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
As to who created the impression that he had amassed ill-gotten money, he said it is well-known, thereby pointing fingers at BJD leaders who hounded him after his removal from the ruling party.
Mohapatra also reiterated his claim that about one-third of the BJD MlAs and Ministers are involved in the chit fund scam. “This I say from my gut feelings,” he said when asked how he knew it.
The message Mohapatra obviously sought to send is that the Naveen Patnaik Government would stand exposed as a highly corrupt one as the CBI investigation further progresses.