Bhubaneswar: Hours after his expulsion from the party, former Union minister Srikant Jena on Sunday came down heavily on Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik and Congress president Rahul Gandhi, claiming that there was a covert understanding between the latter and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik.
“Rahul Gandhi has decided that the governance of Odisha will remain under the Patnaik families for which he had announced a grand alliance between the Congress and the BJD president Naveen Patnaik,” Srikant told mediapersons here.
Srikant was expelled from the primary membership of Congress on Saturday evening by Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) following the recommendation of the All India Congress Committee (AICC).
Explaining the reasons for his expulsion from the Congress, Srikant said he may not have the eligibility to become a member of the Congress which is “eminently eligible” to accumulate properties from the loot of the mines.
“I am very happy today that the issue which I had reiterated before the Congress president has fallen on deaf ears as the latter has finally made his intention very clear of going with the mining mafia and bowing before Naveen instead of choosing the people of Odisha. From now on, I will wage my relentless fight against the unholy nexus between Rahul Gandhi and Naveen Patnaik in Odisha,” he added.
Srikant further revealed that he would make another revelation during the visit of Rahul to Bhubaneswar on January 25. “The impact of my revelation will force the Congress president to hide his face from the people of the country,” he maintained.
Taking a dig at the OPCC president, Jena said he is a “habitual bribe giver” for which he has received a stricture from the Orissa High Court. “Despite being aware of this, Rahul entrusted the state party leadership to him and created an opportunity for the Congress for an unholy nexus with the mining mafia in Odisha. I will intensify my campaign to free Odisha from the rule of the Patnaik family and expose the complicity of the BJD government with the mining mafia”, he said.
Claiming that he was not involved in any corrupt activities during his 40 years of political career, he said no one, not even the people of his Balasore Lok Sabha constituency has brought any charge of corruption against him.
In his reaction, Niranjan said the Congress needs a person who maintains discipline in the party.
Referring to the strictures of the Orissa High Court passed against him on the mining issue as stated by Jena, the OPCC president said the latter is aware of the High Court ruling. But he is not aware of the Supreme Court ruling on this matter. If Jena is unaware of the apex court ruling, what can I do?” Niranjan wondered.
In a lengthy interaction with the media, Jena produced the letter which he had written to the Congress president on December 9, 2018 and said that he had brought to his notice several times about corruption within the party and the unholy nexus of the state party leadership with the mining mafia. However, Gandhi blissfully ignored the issues raised by me.
“I am saddened today, I fail to realise how could Gandhi, whose family strengthened the Congress in the country, could bow before Naveen and mining mafia in the state,” he said.
He, however, did not reveal his next political move and dismissed reports that he would be joining the Aam Aadmi Party. He said his main objective from now on will be to expose the “Patnaik brothers, the tacit understanding between the Congress and the BJD and the unholy nexus with the mining mafia. “I will travel the state in my objective and will support anyone who supports me,” he said.
In his letter to Gandhi on December 9 last year, Jena had alleged that Naveen was literally calling the shots in Odisha Congress through BJD Soumya Ranjan Patnaik whose brother Niranjan is PCC chief.
“The time has come for the Congress party to decide whether we stand with the two Patnaik families or with the people of Odisha.
“I am sure you will agree that we should stand with the people of Odisha as otherwise the Congress would be seen as a B-team of BJD andwould leave the field open for the BJP to encash the severe anti-incumbency against the ruling BJD despite the fact that we are now gaining electoral momentum in the rest of the country,” he said.
Jena said as chairman of the party’s manifesto committee, he had suggested that the state congress should bring the alleged mining scam of Rs 2 lakh crore at the forefront. But Niranjan was opposed to the idea as his family is “directly” involved with illegal mining.
“I cannot imagine that the party of Gandhi, Nehru and Gopabandhu Das can have a state president with such dubious distinctions,” he said in his letter.
