Kendrapara, Aug. 9: The release of government funds from the MLA Local Area Development Fund (MLALAD) by former Aul legislator and BJD spokesperson Pratap Deb to the ashrams set up by controversial self-styled spiritual leader Sarathi baba has snowballed into a controversy.
The BJP and the Congress have slammed the BJD for patronising Sarathi, who was arrested yesterday. Many BJD politicians have also been accused of calling on him.
It is alleged that Deb, who is chairman of Odisha Housing Corporation, had sanctioned Rs 15 lakh for the Sarathi ashram at Bharatpur village in his Aul Assembly constituency for its renovation. The money was sanctioned from the MLALAD fund.
An MLA is allowed to sanction Rs 1 crore every year for expenditure on the development of his constituency.
The ashram was sanctioned Rs 3 lakh for renovation during the 2010-11 fiscal. Later, Deb had also recommended release of an additional grant of Rs 8 lakh for the construction of a community centre on the ashram compound in 2012-13. In 2013-14, another grant of grant of Rs 4 lakh was sanctioned for renovation of the community hall.
An official explained that while the MPLAD fund states that none of it should be granted to religious organisations, the Odisha MLALAD rules are silent on this issue.
"The ashram and community hall for which grants were released were only named after Sarathi. But the local people manage it and Sarathi has nothing to do with them. There is nothing wrong in releasing grants to such institutions. The guidelines framed for MLALAD has not been violated. It has been duly approved by planning and coordination department," Deb told The Telegraph.
However, Prafulla Chandra Nayak, a local resident, did not agree. He said: "Sarathi was closely linked to the ashram and the community hall. It was being managed and controlled by Sarathi and his close aides. He used to visit the ashram at Aul at regular intervals and delivered discourses to his devotees."
"Since the ashrams of Sarathi are purely private in nature, the funds should not have been granted for their development. There are several community infrastructures that are in dire need of funds# ," said former minister and Congress leader Ganeswar Behera.
