BHUBANESWAR: The Opposition Congress on Wednesday sought a clarification from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the statements given by some senior BJD leaders including Ministers on the alleged link of Minister of State for Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Sanjay Dasburma with a chit fund company.
Raising the issue in the Assembly during Zero Hour, Leader of Opposition Narasingh Mishra said the statements given by some BJD leaders, including Ministers, MPs and MLAs on Dasburma clearly indicate that they have lost faith in the Government.
Mishra read out the statements made by senior BJD leaders including Cooperation Minister Damodar Rout, Revenue Minister Bijayshree Routray, MPs Bhartruhari Mahatab, MP Tathagat Satpathy and Ladu Kishore Swain on Dasburma’s continuance as a Minister in the wake of his controversial involvement with the scam-tainted Artha Tatwa group.
Since this is a sensitive issue and the BJD leaders’ remarks have added to the confusion, the Chief Minister should clarify the matter in the House, Mishra said and urged Speaker Niranjan Pujari to allow for a discussion on this issue.
Reacting to Mishra’s statement, Government chief whip Ananta Das said this should not be subject matter for discussion as these statements were made outside the Assembly.
Das said the Congress should mind its own party affairs instead of pointing fingers at the BJD.
Rout, on the other hand, expressed resentment over the Speaker’s refusal to allow him to make a statement after he was named by the Leader of Opposition. By the time Rout sought permission to speak, the Speaker had already allowed for a discussion on the Opposition sponsored adjournment motion on drinking water crisis.
Later, Mishra told mediapersons that the Congress had given an adjournment motion for discussion on this matter which was disallowed by the Speaker. Had the matter come up for discussion, doubts would have been cleared.
“I think the Chief Minister is afraid of a discussion on the issue as his Government will be exposed,” Mishra said.