Bhubaneswar, Nov. 22: Former Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranajan Patnaik hit back at his detractors, who have been hurling accusations at him with regard to the alleged role of some of his family members in the multi-crore mining scam.

In an exclusive interview (see Metro P8) to The Telegraph, Patnaik reiterated his demand for a CBI inquiry into the scam and said his relatives, who are involved in the mining business, must be punished first if found guilty.

In the same breath, the veteran leader alleged that politicians from several parties, including his own party and the ruling BJD, were funded by the mining mafia and would be exposed in course of time.

The Justice MB Shah Commission probing the mining scam that surfaced in 2009 is yet to submit its full report. The state vigilance department, which was also inquiring into the matter, had also investigated mining activities of Patnaik family members. Since then, members from within the Congress party and the BJD have been targeting Patnaik.

In an earlier interview to The Telegraph, he had defended his family saying that they had been involved in the business since the pre-Independence time. He also alleged that a former chief minister owned mines in his home district, Keonjhar, and has not paid dues to the state government even after relinquishing the mines.

Other Congress heavyweights had maintained that Odisha’s economy had been ruined because of a few mine owners who had looted the state exchequer.

Patnaik, who as the chief of state Congress tried to strengthen his party, which is a spent force in the state after remaining out of the power for nearly a decade-and-half, was suddenly replaced by the high command in May this year. After his ouster his younger brother Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, a senior Congress leader, was also expelled from the party last month for “violating the party’s discipline” by organising rallies in different parts of the state.

For the first time, Patnaik came out in support of his brother saying that the treatment meted out to him was not fair.

Describing the present Congress leadership in the state as “weak”, he said he was ready to face any action for working for people of his state and his party.

Patnaik said he was not hopeful of Congress replacing the Naveen Patnaik regime under the leadership of Jaydev Jena and made it clear that he would not like to contest the elections under Jena's leadership.