BJP senior leaders, including state party president Juel Oram, Bijoy Mohapatra, Biswabhusan Harichandan, Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Dharmendra Pradhan, release the chargesheet against Naveen Patnaik government in Bhubaneswar on Thursday. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, May 26: The BJP today released a chargesheet containing 10 corruption charges against the Naveen Patnaik government.

The major corruption charges figured in the chargesheet included the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme scam, dal scam, mining scam, water scam and the Vedanta University land scam

“When our party had launched Bhrastachar Hatao Abhiyan in Orissa on January 17, we announced to prepare a chargesheet against the government,” said the Bharatiya Janata Party’s state unit president Jual Oram while releasing the chargesheet.

Oram said the party leaders and workers had already covered 54 Assembly constituencies as part of its “remove corruption” campaign. “We will cover 70 constituencies by June 15,” the said the state chief.

“We will touch 72,000 villages across the state during the campaign and tell people how the Naveen Patnaik government has indulged in various corruption,” said he.

Party’s national executive member Bijoy Mohapatra said the party had identified 10 most serious charges against the Naveen Patnaik government in the first phase and would come out with many more scams and fraudulent deals subsequently.

“During the coming panchayat polls scheduled next year, many more scams and scandals will be highlighted by the party,” he said.

Most of the departments embroiled in the scams were headed by the chief minister himself.

“When corruption charges are levelled against any department, the chief minister says, ‘I will look into it’. But he should look at him first,” said Mohapatra.

Referring to the rural job scam, the BJP leader said for the first time in Orissa’s history the Supreme Court took cognisance of corruption charge and ordered CBI inquiry.

Demanding that the CBI probe into the rural job scam should be conducted in all the 30 districts, he said the Orissa government should voluntarily recommend the central investigating agency for extension of the inquiry jurisdiction.

The party’s national executive member said that the vigilance probe into the dal purchase scam had been stopped on the apprehension that several big sorts, including the chief minister and influential party functionaries, would be exposed.

Referring to Lokpal’s recent report to the governor alleging that the Orissa government did not comply with his instructions in the matter of Vedanta University land acquisition, the BJP leaders said: “It seems that the government does not have respect for the statutory bodies and rule of law.”

BJP national secretary Kirit Somaiya said all the major corruption charges against the Orissa government should be probed by a special investigation team. Criminal actions should be initiated against all those involved in the scams.