Odisha I-T raids: BJD, Congress, BJP in political slugfest over cash haul

Bhubaneswar, Dec 11 (PTI) With the Income-Tax department seizing around Rs 350-crore black money and about 3kg gold ornaments during a series of raids on distilleries, three major parties in the state have virtually entered into a slugfest accusing each other of patronising illegality in the country-liquor trade in Odisha.

While the opposition BJP on Monday held stirs in all sub-divisions accusing the state government of patronising the illegal liquor trade, the ruling BJD held a press conference in a bid to expose the "evil design" of the saffron party.

The Congress in a statement blamed both the BJD and BJP and claimed that it was unnecessarily dragged into the controversy.

Responding to a call by BJP state president Manmohan Samal, party leaders and workers held protests near all the sub-divisional offices. Holding placards and banners, the saffron party workers alleged that the BJD MLAs, ministers and state government officials were hand-in-glove with Jharkhand Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu who is allegedly involved in liquor trade in the state.

BJP president Samal alleged that the BJD government had given authority to the Sahu brothers to undertake country liquor business in the state for last 23 years.

"The state government has not auctioned country-liquor business in Odisha. Their licenses were renewed instead of being auctioned," Samal said, holding the BJD administration responsible for accumulation of black money in different distilleries and liquor joints.

"When a central agency such as the IT department could know about the huge black money, what was the role of Odisha police, intelligence, excise department, vigilance and economic offence wing," Samal asked.

Meanwhile, in the press conference, the BJD came down heavily on Odisha BJP leaders and pointed out that while the party's central leadership criticised the Congress by calling them as the storehouse of corruption, in Odisha, the BJP leaders instead attack the regional party, alleged BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty.

He said while leaders such as BJP president JP Nadda, Union ministers Smriti Irani, Anurag Singh Thakur and others have raised questions primarily on the Congress, here they speak in different voice.

"Odisha BJP leaders are doing just the opposite here. In a way, Odisha BJP leaders have pledged to somehow save the Congress on this issue," Mohanty said, adding that the Odisha BJP is doing this for its own political interests.

Congress spokesperson Rajani Mohanty in a statement said the BJD and BJP are both sides of a coin. They were in a coalition government from 2000 to 2009 and BJD was part of NDA since 1997. "The allegations against Congress by BJD and BJP are laughable. The Congress has been dragged into the controversy," he said. PTI