Bhubaneswar: Hours after senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and OPCC chief Prasad Harichandan attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a press meet in New Delhi alleging laxity in the CBI probe into the chit fund and mining scams in Odisha, Union Tribal Welfare Minister Jual Oram said on Sunday the Congress leaders distorted the meaning of his statement and were trying to score political mileage.
In a release, Oram stated, “I am surprised that MP Jairam Ramesh and OPCC President Prasad Harichandan have tried to score a political mileage on the statement made by me on CBI probe into the much talked chit-fund and mining scams in Odisha after distorting its meaning.”
He further said, “The Congress leaders seem not to have carefully examined what I have said and also what I later clarified.”
Oram added, “The statement made by Jairam Ramesh and Prasad Harichandan is false, politically motivated and based on distorted facts.”
Mounting his attack on the Congress, Oram said, “The entire country knows the corruption was synonymous with the Congress party, whether in power or otherwise.”
He added, “The Congress Party should know that our government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has zero tolerance against corruption and the government has already initiated several steps in this regards.”
Clarifying about his statement before the OTV on Friday, Oram said in the release, “My contention was that the BJD should have thanked BJP because it did not use CBI the way Congress was using it for political gain.”
He added, “Had BJP misused the CBI the way Congress led UPA had done in the past, there is no doubt the CBI would have finished the BJD government already.”
The released issued by Oram further said, “I also said even though a section of people are under impression that the probe into these scams by the CBI is slow, the NDA government has never interfered into the activities of the CBI.”
“I never questioned the integrity of the CBI. I have rather stated the CBI is an independent organisation and it is investigating into it this matter independently without pressure or influence,” the Union minister said.