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Bhubaneswar: Senior Congress leader and former Brahmagiri MLA Lalatendu Bidyadhar (Lulu) Mahapatra on Thursday came down heavily on the chief minister and the state police for not taking action against BJD minister Sanjay Dasburma, who he alleged is involved in the mega AT chit fund scam.
Briefing the media persons here, he said the police should not be partial in its investigation.
“The police commissioner, in a media briefing two days ago, had said the former Congress MLA Ramesh Jena is involved in the chit fund scam and the police would request the CBI to probe the link. I want to ask a question to the police commissioner and the DGP, what action has the state government taken against those who are involved in the chit fund scam against whom the CBI has filed affidavit in the High Court?” Mahapatra asked.
Without taking the name of Sanjay Dasburma, he said “A 53-year-old BJD leader and the president of Biju Yuva Janata Dal, who is in charge of two important portfolios, and whom I call him Rengoon as I don’t like to utter the name of this dacoit and a blacklisted builder, who was gifted with a Pajero SUV by the chief of AT Group of companies Pradip Sethi. I want to ask the police what action has it taken against this BJD leader and where is that Pajero SUV? I have seen that SUV, which later disappeared from Odisha”.
He further asked why the police commissioner, who says the police will request the CBI to probe into Ramesh Jena’s link with the chit fund companies, has not spoken against the Biju Yuva Janata Dal leader against whom the CBI has filed affidavit in connection with his link with the AT Group of Companies since last two years.
Referring to Ramesh Jena’s case, Lulu said; "The police claims that it is impartial. If this is true, then why has it not taken action against the BJD leader? Police is active in Ramesh Jena’s case. If Amitabh Thakur says he is impartial, then he should take the case of the BJD leader. Let the police take action against the criminal activities of Ramesh Jena as well as those who are involved in criminal activities."
“The fact remains that the police is not taking against this BJD leader (Sanjay Dasburma) because he belongs to the ruling party and is the right hand of the chief minister,” he maintained.
He also asked the chief minister, 'who always makes claims of transparent administration and says the law will take its own course', what action he would take against his cabinet colleague for his complicity in the AT chit fund scam.
Lulu also said if anyone has tarnished the image of the State Police in the last 16 years, it is the BJD government. “It has introduced the gun culture in the state by hiring non-Odia police officers and put the lives of the people at risk. There are four Odia IPS officers, three of whom are Brahmin while another officer has recently retired from his service. These four police officers, who are known for their honesty and diligence, can give justice to the people. Unfortunately, this government has no faith on these officers. If the government gives them the responsibility, I bet the crime rate in Odisha would come down by 50 percent,” he pointed out.
Reacting to the statement of Mahapatra, Dasburma said since the people of Odisha are fully aware of the character and image of former Brahmagiri MLA, it is not necessary for him to say anything further on this.
“All I can say is that the allegations he has brought against me is baseless and reflects his sheer ignorance. If he has the guts, let him prove the charges he has brought against me. If these charges are proved, I would retire from politics. I challenge him that he cannot do it. After coming to know about his false statements against me, I have nothing but hatred for him. He has again identified himself as a spiteful and hated person. If he fails to prove the charges, he should quit politics."
