Pyari Mohan Mohapatra

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 20: Former rebel BJD leader Pyari Mohan Mohapatra today alleged that the party had made “a tacit understanding” with the Congress for a future political alliance and also to delay a CBI inquiry into the coal scam.

“At the same time, the BJD has kept its option open for an alliance even with the BJP. It is waiting for the right time to strike a deal,” he said.

Mohapatra, who has floated the Odisha Jan Morcha after being expelled from the BJD, said: “The BJD is scared of an inquiry into the coal scam. Even though the Supreme Court has directed a CBI inquiry into the alleged coal scam acting on a PIL, the investigation process has been delayed. The BJD sympathisers in New Delhi are in touch with the Congress on this issue.” To buttress his point that the BJD can forge an electoral alliance with the Congress, the Rajya Sabha Member recalled the statement of Union parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath about the possibility of such a formation. Nath’s statement to a private TV channel on Saturday confirmed that the BJD was open to an alliance.

On his part, chief minister Naveen Patnaik has ruled out any sort of coalition with either the Congress or the BJP. Naveen had been maintaining that the BJD would maintain equidistance from the two principal parties.

The Odisha government has landed in a controversy after questions were raised over the Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC)’s decision to hand over its share of coal block to a Delhi-based company called Sainik group. Subsequently, the OMC had cancelled the agreement with the Sainik group.

Mohapatra also claimed that the election of a new BJP state unit president was being delayed because of the Naveen factor. “The person concerned who will be made the Odisha unit president of the BJP has to go with Naveen Patnaik.”

He said that Odisha Jan Morcha would hold its next convention in Sambalpur on February 22.