The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday slammed the Odisha government and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over the seizure of Rs 350 crore cash by the Income Tax Department from liquor traders in Western Odisha.
Addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal said, “The Chief Minister who always says the law will take its own course, is surprisingly silent on this cash seizure case. Why is he silent? Does he fear the probe will expose a link between Naveen Niwas and the liquor mafias?”
Biswal asked this mentioning the inauguration of the liquor manufacturing plant of Boudh Distilleries Private Limited at Harabhanga in Boudh. He said the plant was inaugurated by CM Naveen Patnaik in a virtual mode under the Make In Odisha initiative.
“While many proposed projects are languishing under bureaucratic red-tapism in Odisha for over five to six years, the liquor manufacturing plant was ready for inauguration in just one year, after its approval in 2018. Moreover, the CM could spare time for the inauguration of the liquor plant, whereas he never finds time to visit any school or college for that matter,” Biswal said.
Indicating links of Naveen Patnaik with liquor baron Ritesh Sahu, Biswal alleged, “Ritesh Sahu is the Managing Director of Boudh Distilleries Pvt ltd. He is also the nephew of Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu.
The business group has 62 country-liquor manufacturing units in Bolangir district alone. The district does not have a single milk processing plant. Were there any kickbacks for Naveen Niwas from that liquor manufacturing group for allowing them to manufacture and sell country-made liquor unabatedly?”
Meanwhile, the activists of BJP Yuva Morcha held a massive protest over the seizure of cash and burnt the effigy of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
However, BJD spokesperson, Swayam Prakash Mahapatra refuted the allegations saying that at the national level, leaders of the BJP are linking the cash seizure to the Congress while the BJP leaders in Odisha have a different stand and have constantly been telling blatant and fictious lies.