Naveen Patnaik speaks on Anna Hazare’s fast on Saturday. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 27: The situation appeared deeply ironical as chief minister Naveen Patnaik today reiterated his support to Anna Hazare’s campaign for a strong Lokpal while it was alleged that the state government was trying to keep the reports of its own ombudsman from the Assembly.

“We would like a strong Lokpal bill to curb black money and corruption. Our government has always fought against corruption and will continue to do so,” said Naveen even as he appealed to the ageing social activist to call off his fast in view of his deteriorating health.

The chief minister’s statement drew immediate criticism from Opposition leaders who mocked Naveen’s sincerity in fighting corruption saying that his government had failed to place several Lokpal reports in the state Assembly during the past five years.

State BJP legislature leader K.V. Singh Deo said: “We are all aware of this government’s double standards. It is not going to place the Lokpal report in the Assembly.”

The recrimination appeared jarring at a time when the Anna wave has gripped the state. People not only in the state capital, but even in small towns have been organising dharnas and rallies in support of his cause. One of the fasting activists, Bhabani Shankar Parija, was hospitalised two days ago. The agitators are demanding that the chief minister should be brought under the purview of the Lokpal.

The Opposition parties have been trying to corner the Naveen government on the issue of Lokpal for quite sometime now. They alleged that the government since 2005 had received as many as 30 reports from the Lokpal, including one on the controversial land acquisition for Vedanta University. But it has laid only five of these reports before the state Assembly.

The Assembly witnessed a lively debate over the issue on August 24 with the Opposition trying to put the government on the mat. Senior Congress MLA and Opposition chief whip Prasad Harichandan said: “The government’s dubious dealings would be exposed once the Lokpal report is tabled in the Assembly.”

Stating that the state government had failed to submit the annual reports of the Lokpal from 2005 to 2011, leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh said this was blatant violation of established norms.

State Congress chief Niranjan Patnaik said that the governor had written to the government on August 23 to submit the reports of the Lok Pal immediately. He said that government was being wary as the Lokpal had come down heavily on it in the Vedanta case.

“Once the report is tabled, the government’s collusion with the Vedanta group would come to fore,” said Patnaik.

Sources said the Lokpal had submitted four reports in 2005, three each in 2006 and 2007 and 14 in 2009. Most of these reports were on revenue related issues.

Explaining the delay in tabling the reports in the Assembly, parliamentary affairs minister Raghunath Mohanty said: “The government believes in transparency. It has received 30 special reports from the governor’s secretariat. Out of these, five special reports have been submitted. The state government asked the departments concerned to send explanatory memorandum on the rest. Once the explanatory memorandum is received it would be presented before the Cabinet for approval and then laid in the House.”

On the governor’s report on Vedanta university, Mohanty said the government had received it and sent it to the higher education department to prepare an explanatory note.