Odisha Stung By Corruption As BJD Govt Works Hand In Glove With BJP, Claims Congress

New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: Alleging massive corruption in all spheres by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government in Odisha, Congress on Wednesday said it will bring a chargesheet to expose the irregularities that took place in the state.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting of party leaders in New Delhi, AICC general secretary and Odisha in-charge A Chellakumar said people of the state are fed up of rampant corruption, unemployment, plight of farmers and atrocities on tribals.

Claiming that many corruption cases have come to light under the BJD government, he alleged that a massive scam to the tune of Rs 20,000 crore has taken place in the electricity department of the state.

The Congress party is planning to bring out a chargesheet against the BJD government citing all these scams, said Chellakumar.

The meeting at the AICC headquarters was convened by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to chalk out a strategy for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha due next year.

The Congress leaders said though BJD had promised to transform Odisha, it has pushed the state backward.  They said Congress has redoubled the efforts in strengthening the organisation and in raising people-friendly issues.

Coming down heavily on the Naveen Patnaik government, Chellakumar also alleged that the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre and the ruling BJD in Odisha are working hand in glove on many issues.

Attacking the ruling BJD in same vein, OPCC president Sarat Pattanayak said the Congress will go to the people and create public opinion against the ‘corrupt’ BJD government in the state.

“The state was rocked by a series of scandals. Mining scam, chitfund scam and several such scams have taken place in Odisha during the BJD rule. We will raise all these issues before the people,” Pattanayak said.

Former AICC president Rahul Gandhi and at least 30 senior leaders of the party from Odisha including former OPCC presidents Niranjan Patnaik and Jaydev Jena, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Narasingha Mishra, MLAs Tara Prasad Bahinipati and Santosh Singh Saluja, and OPCC campaign committee chief Bijay Patnaik attended the meeting.