BHUBANESWAR: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) disowned former government chief whip and party’s Banki MLA Pravat Tripathy within minutes of his arrest by the CBI in connection with the chit fund scam by suspending him from the party.
Party spokesman Amar Prasad Satpathy said the party is in no way connected with the matter, and activities of individual members will in no way affect the party’s image. “Neither the party was involved nor will be involved in these developments,” he said.
Stating that the arrest of Tripathy has exposed the BJD completely, president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Jaydev Jena alleged the Chief Minister and the State Government had encouraged the chit fund companies which defrauded the people. Because of the encouragement by higher ups in the Government and the ruling, poor people invested in the chit fund companies, he said.
Meanwhile, the Biju Yuva Janata Dal (BYJD) has welcomed the step taken by the Chief Minister against Tripathy.
General Secretary of BYJD Bijay Nayak said the Chief Minister never hesitated to take action in chit fund scam.
Besides ordering a Crime Branch probe into the scam, steps were taken to ensure that the investors got back their money, Nayak said.
Tripathy was called for interrogation by the CBI on Friday for the fourth time in connection with Artha Tatwa scam before his arrest.