Senior BJP leader Balbir Punj at the new conference in Bhubaneswar on Friday. (Sanjib Mukherjee)

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 6: Dubbing the ongoing vigilance probe ordered by the Naveen Patnaik government an eyewash a visiting BJP team today demanded a CBI inquiry into the multi-crore mining scam.

“The scam needs to be probed by the CBI. If chief minister Naveen Patnaik is innocent, he should welcome such a probe,” said team leader and Rajya Sabha member Balbir Punj, who spoke to reporters this evening at the end of the three-day visit.

During its visit to six-odd sites from where the rumours began, the central team allegedly came across enough evidence to suggest the CBI probe, said Punj.

“At one site, illegal mining activities were on even while we were inspecting. The workers ran away after a while. Dumpers, trucks and mining equipment were left behind,” he said, adding that they also came across pits dug up in reserve forest area.

Punj said it was “funny” how no equipment or trucks were seized by the vigilance bureau. A scandal of this magnitude would not have been possible without the protection of the power-that-be, he added and said that actions were taken against a few lower level officials, made into scapegoats while the big fishes, swam free.

“We have come to the conclusion that all roads of corruption lead to Naveen Nivas (the residence of Naveen Patnaik),” said former Rajya Sabha member Chandan Mitra who was also a part of the visiting team.

He also alleged that if they dug deeper they would find major corporate players involved as well.

Highlighting another burning issue of the Naveen government acquiring more than 6,000 acres near Puri for the proposed Vedanta University, the team said they saw no merit in the government decision. “The exercise was carried out at the cost of farmers,” alleged Punj and demanded that the Naveen government should cancel the MoU it had signed with Anil Agrawal Foundation and apologise to (lord) Jagannath for taking his land.

Citing the Singur instance, Mitra said the people would rise in revolt against the Naveen Patnaik government if it did not stop the project.

“Be sure that the BJP will raise the twin issues in the Parliament and present a memorandum to the Prime Minister,” he said.