Bhubaneswar: With skeletons continuing to tumble out of the Oscar cupboard, the links of BJD’s actor-turned-politicians in the Rs 240 crore scam has put the party in a spot. While the regional party has shied away from a forceful rebuttal on the issue, Opposition parties have demanded suspension of the actors from the primary membership of the party.
Demanding strong action against parliamentarians Siddhant Mohapatra, Anubhav Mohanty and legislator Akash Das Nayak, who have acted in movies produced by the Oscar Group, student Congress activists gheroaed the DGP office in Cuttack on Saturday. Around one hundred followers of the party staged a sit-in in front of the DGP office and shouted anti-government slogans.
“If Naveen Patnaik wants to maintain his clean image, he should immediately suspend his two MPs and the Korei legislator till it is proved that they are not involved in the scam. What is he waiting for? On many previous occasions, he has shown his uncompromising attitude and sacked many politicians. If he wants to keep the image intact, he must take strong action against them,” said a protester.
The agitators also demanded that comedian Tattwa Prakash Satpathy alias Papu pom pom, who had unsuccessfully contested in the 2014 polls on a BJD ticket, should be arrested as he has already admitted to have taken money from Oscar Group CMD Prabhas Rout.
“When he (Satpathy) is admitting before the media that he has taken around Rs four lakh from Rout, the main accused of the Rs 240 crore chit fund scam, why is the government silent? Is it because he had contested the election on BJD ticket?” asked another.
Congress chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati has gone a step forward asking for the arrest of the actor-politicians of the BJD whose names have cropped up in connection with the Oscar scam..
“First, the MPs must resign and the Crime Branch should arrest them. Besides, the case must be handed over to the CBI,” Bahinipati said.
BJP’s Pradeep Purohit supported Bahinipati's demand for handing over the case to the CBI, saying; “Since the CBI is investigating the chit fund scam in Odisha, this matter must be handed over to the central investigating agency.”
On the other hand BJD countered the allegation saying the case is being probed by the Crime Branch and the Opposition parties must wait for the probe report to come.
“Everything will be clear after the investigation is complete,” BJD spokesperson Sameer Dash stated.