The Biju Janata Dal braves 'Chit-fund' stain

BHUBANESHWAR: The Biju Janata Dal has renominated legislators accused in the past of doing business with chit fund companies.

Both Nayagarh MLA Arun Sahu, and Mahakalapada MLA Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, who were summoned by the CBI in January this year, will be contesting from their usual constituencies. While Lok Sabha MP Rabindra Kumar Jena, whose factory and offices had been raided by the CBI, will contest once again from Balasore.

Naveen Patnaik, according political commentator Dilip Bisoi, is calling the BJP or the CBI’s bluff. “In re-nominate the MLAs, Patnaik is asserting his party’s stand that these summons were nothing but political witch-hunts against his government,” said Bisoi.

Amongst the latest candidates announced, former minister Sanjay Das Burma (contest from Brahmagiri), Pranab Kumar Balabantray (Dharmasala) and Debi Prasad Mishra (Baramba- Narsinghpur) have all been accused of patronising chit-fund operations.

Former Choudwar MLA Prabhat Biswal and former Banki MLA Pravat Tripathy, out on bail after being arrested, had removed themselves from consideration saying they would not contest this time. Their respective sons Souvic Biswal and Debi Ranjan Tripathy have been given their constituencies.

Arrests by the CBI, in relation to an ongoing Supreme Court case on chit fund companies, were swift and frequent in the first few years of the Narendra Modi government. It seemed to suggest the BJP was serious about denting Patnaik’s reputation as incorruptible. The bureau had also arrested a BJD MP and former BJD MLA. It had also caused quite a stir summoning Saroj Sahu who worked for the party from Patnaik’s residence.

A mid-term reshuffle of Patnaik’s cabinet in 2017 saw many of these leader -- not yet summoned by the CBI but who may have had the chit-fund sword hanging over them -- moved out. Investigations seemed to peter out in the months that followed, possibly prompting Baijayant Panda to question in January (when he hadn’t yet joined the party) whether the BJP wasn’t “going soft on Patnaik and had not dropped the ball” in Odisha.

Patnaik’s already asked Pradeep Panigrahi, who union minister for petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan had accused of being involved with a chit-fund company, to contest again from Gopalpur.

Odisha will go to polls in four phases, on April 11, 18, 23 and 29, to determine who should represent them in 21 Lok Sabha and 147 assembly seats.