 |
| Raghunath Mohanty |
Bhubaneswar, July 23: The Opposition today demanded a high-level probe into the scandal involving steel and mines minister Raghunath Mohanty following the recent arrest of two youths by the Jharkhand police for cheating a mining company of Rs 15.5 lakh in the name of the minister.
One of the accused, Chandan Rout, who was arrested from Jajpur Road on July 20 night, happens to be a former president of Jajpur district unit of the BJD’s youth wing.
Rout claimed that he had close links with several ministers and senior BJD leaders.
Rout and his associate, Biswanath Satpathy, were arrested on charges of cheating the owners of Saha Brothers, a Jharkhand-based sponge iron company. The duo had received Rs 15.5 lakh for ensuring that the Orissa government sent its recommendations to the Centre for renewal of lease for the company’s closed mines at Karamada in Keonjhar district. They had also handed over copies of some documents relating to the lease of the said mines.
“Where from did the duo get these documents? It naturally arouses suspicion that either the steel and mines minister, himself, or his staff might have been involved in the deal with the mining company,” said Congress state president Niranjan Patnaik.
“It is suspected that the duo might have acted as agents of the minister or connived with the officers of the mines department,” he said, demanding a high-level probe into the episode.
BJP state president Jual Oram said the duo’s arrest had opened another chapter in the multi-crore mining scam. “This incident proved that the BJD office-bearers were acting as brokers,” he said.
“There should be a high-level probe into the involvement of the minister or his staff in the deal,” said the former Union minister.
It needs to be probed as to whether the documents, handed over by the accused, were original or fake and the file for renewal of mining lease in favour of the Jharkhand company had been processed after the accused had received the sum, he said.
On the other hand, Mohanty said: “I don’t know them. Many cheats are operating in the state. Thankfully, these two fraudsters have been nabbed by the police.”
“Police investigations will reveal the truth. Law will take its own course,” he said.