Bhubaneswar: The recent arrest of former Congress MLA Ramesh Jena in connection with a bomb explosion case took a dramatic turn on Tuesday after parliamentarian Ladu Kishore Swain of BJD alleged the State police had helped the former to expand his crime empire.
To make things worse for the ruling party, Excise minister Damodar Rout, known for his sarcastic remarks, commented that no criminal can grow without administrative support.
Taking potshots at the government, Swain told reporters, “I can tell you the truth. It is only because the police completely support him (Ramesh) that he has able to commit anti-social activities iincluding murder. He has also been getting support from the police to do all sorts of illegal activities and unrestricted liquor business in his area.”
“How these things are possible without support from the police?” asked Swain.
Meanwhile, the parliamentarian from Aska constituency, who vociferously raises isues concerning Odisha in the Lower House, found support for his remarks against the government from Excise minister Damodar Rout.
“Without political and administrative clout, criminals like these can never grow,” Rout stated making a veiled attack on the State government.
Though the party vice-president had embarrassed the government on several other occasions earlier, Tuesday’s statement criticising the State administration seemed more hostile.
Curiously, the ruling party promptly reacted on Swain’s statement while staying clear of what the Paradip legislator said.
“If he (Swain) claims that he has some information about anti-social activities done by some particular persons, he can intimate the chief minister about it,” BJD spokesperson Sameer Das said.