Bhubaneswar, Jan. 31: The controversy over the political links of gangster siblings, Sushant and Sushil Dhal Samanta, is snowballing with names of big guns such as Union minister of state for petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan cropping up.

In what appears to be a tit-for-tat, the BJD has seized on the opportunity and trained its guns on Pradhan, who had shared the dais with Sushil, younger of the siblings who were arrested on Thursday, at a blood donation camp organised in Cuttack on January 10.

Though the BJP has sought to play down the issue saying it was not possible for public figures to check the antecedents of everyone who get photographed with them, the ruling party continues to skewer Pradhan for whom the controversy could not be more ill-timed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to visit the state for two days beginning February 6.

The visit, which has triggered a war of words between the BJP and the BJD, will see Modi dedicating to the nation the 15-million-tonne Paradip oil refinery, which the NDA government is projecting as one of the major achievements of Pradhan's department.

The BJD, however, is keen not to let Pradhan run away with all the credit and the presence of the minister at a programme organised by Sushil Dhal Samanta, currently cooling his heels in Chowdwar jail with his elder brother Sushant, couldn't have been more convenient.

Party spokesperson Pratap Kesari Deb said: "There are criminal cases lodged against the Dhal Samanta brothers. Pradhan should make it clear why he attended the programme organised by them. What is his connection with the brothers? To my knowledge, Pradhan was fully aware of their antecedents."

The BJP had targeted chief minister Naveen Patnaik when he had attended an event organised by the sham money-deposit collection company, Seashore Group, in March 2011 to launch a TV channel.

The BJP, which had accused Naveen of promoting the group without verifying its antecedents, is now facing the same charges. Predictably, its leaders have jumped to the defence of Pradhan.

BJP state in-charge Arun Singh said it was not possible on the part of public figures to check the antecedents of everyone they share a dais with. "You think that is possible? Anyone can stand beside a leader and pose for photographs. This issue is being unnecessarily played up," said Singh.

Pradhan himself appears defensive. "If I had known their criminal antecedents, I would not have gone there. Even the security personnel provided by the state government who escorted me to the function did not warn me about it," he said.