Bhubaneswar, Jan. 3: Gloves were off over Justice M.B. Shah Commission report on the mining scam as clamour for chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s resignation grew and the Congress called for a statewide strike on January 7.

“With the commission’s report becoming public, corruption of the Naveen Patnaik government has been exposed. The chief minister should not only step down, but he should be arrested. We will organise a statewide hartal on January 7 to bring this government to its knees,” said state Congress president Jaydev Jena.

The hartal would, however, spare Bhubaneswar, where campaigning for the municipal corporation poll is in full swing. “Our workers will organise a token dharna on Mahatma Gandhi Marg,” said Jena. State BJP chief K.V. Singhdeo, too, sought Naveen’s resignation holding him responsible for the wanton loot of state’s mineral wealth. He also took aim at the Congress-led UPA government saying it was hand in gloves with the BJP as far as the mining scam was concerned. “

“They are together in this. We want a CBI inquiry into the issue,” said Singhdeo.

Senior Congress leaders such as Prasad Harichandan also wanted a CBI probe into the scam. “This is a huge scandal and only a CBI inquiry can do justice to this,” said Harichandan, who echoed the BJP that all files concerning illegal mining had been cleared by Naveen’s office. Unfazed by the Opposition’s assault, the ruling BJD, too, struck a combative posture saying the government would respond to the panel’s findings only after the Centre had reacted to it.

“The commission has held both Centre and the state responsible. But since the report has been submitted to the UPA government, the ball is in the Centre’s court. Let them react first,” said health minister Damodar Rout.

Sources said the panel, which visited the state five times between 2011 and 2013, had indicted the state government for failing to check illegal mining which resulted in a staggering loss of about Rs 60,000 crore to the exchequer.

The panel, which came across instances of illegal mining at several places in the mineral rich Keonjhar and Sundargarh districts, is reported to have recommended urgent measures for recovery of money from the violators saying that of the 185 mining leases of iron and manganese ores in the state around 110 were functioning without “lawful authority”.

Sources said that the commission in its lengthy report has described illegal mining in Odisha as “one of the biggest ever”, suggesting that it was an apt case for being handed over to the CBI. The most serious violations, according to the panel, had taken place in Joda and Koida mining circles.

The commission had also come across evidence of mining having taken place within 10km radius of Similipal wildlife sanctuary in Mayurbhanj district in violation of forest laws. In the wake of commission’s rap, the state government had imposed a penalty of Rs 65,469 crore on 60 mining companies, but the amount is yet to be realised from them. “We are unable to realise the amount as the matter is sub-judice,” said Deepak Mohanty, director, mines.