Bhubaneswar: In an effort to checkmate expelled leader Damodar Rout from making scathing attacks on former colleagues and the Chief Minister, ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Monday launched a blistering attack on him levying various charges and allegations.
BJD vice-president and Cabinet minister Surya Narayan Patro and BJD legislator Samir Dash strongly attacked Rout inside and outside the Assembly, Monday.
Briefing media persons here, Patro alleged that Rout’s son had joined the transport business in Paradip by engaging his vehicles in IFFCO. “He was earning lakhs of rupees by using government machinery. A house of his son- in-law has been given on rent to a Paradip-based company. He also has links with gangster Tito. The SIT probe will expose all these matters,” Patro said.
Stating that Dama has the habit of criticising anyone at his own will only to remain in news, Patro said there are allegations against him on making derogatory remarks against the anganwadi workers, Dalits and the Brahmin communities. He was trying to create a division in the society with his casteist remarks.
Coming down heavily on his former colleague for alleging scam in the Cooperation department, the BJD leader asked, “Why Dama, during his tenure as a minister, had not raised the issue of corruption? Because he wanted to hold on to his portfolio for earning money, he had not spoken about it then”.
“If the officers concerned did not pay heed to his order, why (Rout) did he not initiate proceedings against them? Otherwise, he could have resigned from the Cabinet and told the media,” he further stated.
“Before his expulsion from the party, he was all praise for the Chief Minister. Now that he is no more in the party, he has started vilifying him. The people of Odisha will never tolerate his double standards,” he added.
In the Assembly, bringing fresh allegation against the expelled leader, BJD spokesperson and Nimapara MLA Samir Dash said Dama Babu is involved in corruption in the allotment of liquor license. “When Dama was the excise minister, he had allotted 93 liquor licences of which eight were allotted in Jagatsinghpur district with three licensees from Jagatsinghpur and five from his home constituency in Paradip.”
Das demanded of the Speaker to order an investigation on the number of licenses issued after 2014-15, who were the beneficiaries and how they had procured those.
Reacting to the statements of the leaders of the ruling party, Rout said Patro is a corrupt leader and a man without any principle and can go the any extent of changing his name for the sake of his son. The Paradip MLA alleged that Patro has changed his name to register some property in the name of his son.
Responding to allegation of his link with Tito, Rout said let there be a CBI or even Interpol probe to ascertain the veracity of the charge.
On the allegation of Samir Dash, he said excise portfolio was deliberately given to him so that he could be asked to resign in case of liquor death. “But, during my three-year stint as excise minister, not a single liquor death was reported in the state. Besides, the excise revenue during my tenure doubled,” he claimed.
Attacking Dash, the senior legislator asked him to disclose how much money he had offered to the then minister Kalpataru Das for the party ticket to contest the election.
Taking a dig at the Chief Minister, he said while Biju Patnaik had asked the people to beat up corrupt officers, his son has now embraced corruption.