Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Panigrahi Ups The Ante, Says He Will Attend 5T Secy V K Pandian Meet

Bhubaneswar: Taking a swipe at 5T Secretary V K Pandian’s whirlwind tours of Odisha, ostensibly to hear public grievances on the direction of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Panigrahi on Thursday mocked at the ruling BJD of which he was earlier a part and said a bill should be passed in the next session of the Assembly to introduce bureaucratic form of government in the state.

“Considering the state of elected representatives, relegated to the background in their own constituencies, and reduced to pitching tents, it’s time to repeal the democratic form of government in Odisha. People expect the elected representatives to stand by them and take up development works, but all they do now is attend Assembly and sign on whatever they are asked to by the party,” he alleged.

The MLA further said that he will attend the grievance redressal meeting, which the 5T secretary is scheduled to hold at Balaji Bidyapitha in Gopalpur Assembly constituency in Ganjam district. “As per order of precedence, I have some rights and it is for the Chief Secretary and Assembly secretary to ensure those. The CM, DGP and concerned SP will be responsible if anything happens to me while travelling from Bhubaneswar to Ganjam. If an elected representative is attacked then it is an attack on democracy and the CM,” he said.

The state government or BJD or Pandian are yet to respond to the statements made by Panigrahi, who has emerged as a strong critic of the ruling dispensation. We will update this news as and when we get reactions from them on this issue.

Notably, the opposition parties have also decided to oppose Pandian’s three-day visit to Ganjam district.

Panigrahi was expelled from BJD in November 2020 for alleged anti-people activities after he landed in trouble for his alleged links with dismissed Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officer, Abhay Kant Pathak, whose son Akash, also arrested by the Vigilance for allegedly abetting his father’s offence, was scheduled to marry the former minister’s daughter on December 15, 2020. The Gopalpur MLA was also arrested by the Crime Branch of Odisha Police for alleged forgery, fraud and criminal conspiracy that year. He was charged with facilitating the duping of 68 youths in Ganjam district by his would-be son-in-law Akash Pathak, who allegedly collected huge amounts of money from these youths by posing as the managing director (MD) of Tata Motors and promising them jobs in the company.

On August 22, the court of judicial magistrate first class here framed charges against Panigrahi, his aide V Sarveswar Rao and Akash in connection with this fake job recruitment drive.

Earlier in April, the Vigilance Department had filed a 3,000-page chargesheet before a Special Vigilance court in Cuttack against the Gopalpur MLA and his spouse for possession of disproportionate assets worth Rs 9.18 crore.