BJP, Congress train guns at BJD over DN Group case 

The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress on Friday targeted the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) dispensation over the recovery of huge stashes of cash during Income Tax raids carried out on the premises of DN Group. 

Taking a swipe at the BJD, BJP state president Manmohan Samal said Naveen Babu should clarify who are involved in this. 

“If they are not accumulating black money, from where they will get such huge amounts of cash? Rs 5 crore in cash was recovered from a sub-collector. Rs 30 crore was recovered from an employee of a company. From this, the involvement of the government machinery is well understood,” Samal said. 

He urged reporters to ask Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik about which government employees are involved in the case. 

Congress leader Bhakta Charan Das too launched an attack on Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. 

“Questions like who is Jagdish Nayak, what his initial investment was, what his present capital is, and who helped him reach this stage are coming to mind. The money seized definitely belongs to the BJD,” alleged Das. 

Taking the side of his party, BJD MLA Amar Satpathy said, “The Chief Minister’s stand is clear on what action needs to be taken against government employees involved in corruption."  

Meanwhile, questions are being raised as to why the Odisha Real Estate Regulatory Authority (ORERA) is maintaining a stoic silence at a time when the Income Tax department is investigating the case. 

As per the seized documents, Rs 80 crore of the total Rs 105 crore is the money collected from prospective buyers of flats. 
As per the RERA rule, a builder has to open separate bank accounts for each project and deposit the collected money in the said account. Moreover, the builder can’t collect more than 10 percent of the under-construction flat value. 

“If a customer lodges a complaint with the RERA, then it will take up the case,” said D S Tripathy, president, CREDAI. 

“As per the Income Tax Act, one can receive maximum of Rs 2 lakh. If the amount exceeds Rs 2 lakh, PAN card is required. If crores of rupees are recovered from someone, they will find it difficult to explain,” said Rajiv Sahu, a financial expert.