BJP questions Naveen’s silence on I-T raids

Stepping up its attack following the recovery of hundreds of crores of rupees during a series of Income Tax raids on Odisha-based distilleries, Opposition BJP on Saturday questioned the Chief Minister’s silence on the issue.

Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal said, ‘’How can Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik remain silent over such a shameful incident taking place in Odisha? The IT officials have seized huge amounts of black money under the nose of the CM.’’

Targeting the BJD government, the BJP State president alleged that the leaders of the regional party in Odisha were providing protection to the Congress Rajya Sabha member from Jharkhand, Dhiraj Prasad Sahu, whose family was involved in the liquor trade and stashing black money. ‘’If a Central agency (IT department) could get clue regarding the black money in Odisha, what was the State police, Excise department, Intelligence and the Economic Offence Wing doing all along?,’’ he asked.

The BJP leader also asked Naveen to order a CBI probe into the matter.

‘’The relationship between Sahu brothers and BJD leaders are subject of an investigation,’’ he said, adding that the State government had not conducted re-auction or re-tendering of the Out Still Shops for the last 24 years. In a fresh statement on Saturday, the BJD accused the Opposition of doing ‘’nasty politics’’ by dragging the name of the regional party in the incident. ‘’While the BJP national leaders target the Congress MP in Jharkhand over the recovery of black money, the BJP leaders in Odisha unnecessarily drag the BJD. They will not succeed in their evil designs,’’ the statement said, adding, ‘’The Odisha BJP leaders should carefully read the X post of Prime Minister.’’ The BJD MLA, Satyanarayan Pradhan, rejected Samal’s allegations and claimed that no BJD minister or MLA was ever linked with the liquor traders whose black money have been seized by the IT department. ‘’We welcome the raids conducted by the Income Tax department. It seems some BJP leaders of western Odisha are connected with the recovered money and the businessman. All the facts will come out after investigation,’’ he said.

Congress spokesman Rajani Mohanty said his party demands a judicial investigation into the incident or a court-monitored SIT probe to ascertain the truth.