BHUBANESWAR: Questioning the silence of the state government on the massive seizure of over Rs 350 crore cash in the recent raids on distilleries of MP from Jharkhand Dhiraj Sahu, the BJP on Wednesday alleged the BJD had strong links with the Boudh Distillery Pvt Ltd owned by the Congress leader.
State BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal said, the state government must explain why the licence for country liquor manufacturing and sale is not auctioned but renewed since 2000. “Is it to favour Boudh Distillery which has a near monopoly in the country liquor trade in the state,” he asked. The company has 62 country liquor breweries in Balangir alone and many more in other districts of the state. It seems the excise policy of the state has not been changed for decades only to favour the Sahu brothers who have been in the trade for a long time, Biswal said.
He claimed the illicit country liquor trade will run into thousands of crore and the loss to the state exchequer huge if a thorough probe is conducted. The BJP staged a demonstration in the state capital and at Balangir district headquarters protesting the government’s silence on the I-T raids.
The BJD hit back at the Opposition party alleging that a Union minister from the state has struck a deal with the grand old party to help him win elections. “We have heard that a Union minister from the state has struck a deal with the Congress to help him out in the coming election. That is why the state BJP leaders so keen to protect the Congress on this issue,” BJD spokesperson Swayam Prakash Mohapatra told mediapersons.
The BJD leader said some leaders of Odisha BJP are also ashamed of such approach of the party. “It is surprising the state BJP leaders are targeting BJD when their national and Jharkhand leaders are agitating against Congress on this issue,” he said.