Bhubaneswar: Making an explosive claim about Minister Naba Das’ murder, senior BJP leader Pradip Purohit on Wednesday alleged that someone aspiring to become the next Chief Minister of Odisha was the mastermind in the killing.
Speaking to reporters, the former legislator claimed that the ruling BJD is stung by infighting over getting the Chief Minister’s position after Naveen Patnaik.
“Infighting in BJD, dispute over leadership and the ambition to grab leadership is the reason behind the killing of Naba Das,” Purohit alleged.
Claiming that Naba Das might have nourished an ambition to become the Chief Minister, he said the slain leader seemed to have been advised by some astrologer to offer puja to Lord Shanidev to make his dream a reality.
Accusing the Crime Branch of not trying to crack the mystery behind the murder, the ex-MLA alleged that they are working to shield the real conspirators behind the murder. The Crime Branch will never crack the conspiracy behind the murder, he claimed.
Therefore, BJP and others have been demanding a CBI probe into the sensational murder to ensure an impartial investigation, he said.
Meanwhile, BJP stalwart and leader of opposition Jayanarayan Mishra alleged that lone accused Gopal Das is just the shooter, but police are not searching for the handler.
No senior BJD leader was immediately available for comment.
