Bhubaneswar, April 25: The CBI today grilled state Youth Congress president Rajat Choudhury for his alleged links with the Artha Tatwa Group, taking some sting out of Opposition's attack on food supplies and consumer welfare minister Sanjay Das Burma in connection with the money deposit collection scam.

Choudhury, 34, had been questioned for around three hours.

Sources in the CBI said the Congress leader was allegedly an associate director in the Artha Tatwa Group. In October 2014, too, the central agency had grilled him in this connection. It is alleged that Choudhury had received money from the group for facilitating a land deal on its behalf. "I don't want to comment on this as the investigation is under progress. I was asked to submit some documents which I have done," Rajat told The Telegraph.

The development comes in the wake of former Congress MLA Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra aka Lulu's allegation on March 17 that a person called Sanjay Das Burma had received a Mitsubishi Pajero from AT chief Pradeep Sethy. Mohapatra had also produced an affidavit submitted by the CBI before Orissa High Court to substantiate his claim. On April 4, the CBI served Das Burma a notice to submit documents related to all the vehicles in his possession. Sources said Choudhury was strongly backed by Lulu, who happens to be the rival of Das Burma having contested against him from Brahmagiri.

The BJD, which seems to be relieved by the development, demanded that the Congress clear the air over Choudhury issue. "The Congress had created furore over the CBI notice to Das Burma with the Pradesh Congress Committee chief and other party leaders taking the high moral ground. Now that the CBI is grilling their youth wing president, we are waiting for their reaction to the development," said BJD spokesperson Pratap Kesari Deb.

On the other hand, Lulu alleged a political conspiracy behind the CBI's grilling of Choudhury. "If he is guilty, they should arrest him. But, they have done this as we were preparing to raise the issue involving the minister tomorrow in the Assembly. This has been done by the ruling party and the investigating agency," alleged Mohapatra.

PCC president Prasad Harichandan alleged that the probe into the Ponzi scam had come to a standstill. "If anyone is proved guilty, the party would initiate appropriate action against him. The CBI should clarify whether it had called Choudhury as an accused or as a witness to seek information," he said.

On April 22, the PCC had mounted further pressure on the state government to take action against Das Burma for his alleged nexus with the same Ponzi company.

The party had alleged that chief minister Naveen Patnaik was giving protection to the "tainted minister". "When the chief minister himself is involved in corruption, how can he rise to the occasion and initiate action against his corrupt party members?" Harichandan had asked.