Bhubaneswar: BJD leader Damodar Rout on Sunday got support from Opposition Congress and BJP on his crusade against "corruption" of his government. For the last one week, Rout continued to hammer the government by bringing corruption issues almost on every alternative day.

Rout first raised the issue of corruption relating to purchase of saplings and providing fertiliser for nurturing them. He pegged the sapling scam at Rs 100 crore. He said: "The irregularities were found at many places starting from Balasore to Rayagada. I had placed some officers under suspension. But whatever action I took was not carried out. Instead, I was removed and the people against whom I took action were rewarded," he said.

Rout also raked up corruption in Odisha Co-operative Milk Producers' Federation (Omfed) relating to purchase of polythene by spending Rs 30 crore for packing of milk. Rout had even dragged agriculture minister Pradeep Maharathy into the controversy. He also questioned the government's decision on ordering a departmental probe instead of a vigilance probe in the case.

Rout also targeted the government by raking up the "Rs 800-crore corruption" in co-operative banks under the co-operative department.

On Sunday, social activists met Rout and congratulated him for taking up the issue. Rout said: "Corruption is corruption, wherever it takes place. For me, the state's interest is first. I will continue to rake it up. I did not raise the issue then as under Officials Secrecy Act, I was not supposed to reveal those."

Coming out in support of Rout, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik said: "There could be some truth in what he is saying. Why is the state government not ordering an investigation? We sought an explanation from the government whether the allegations brought by him are true."

Patnaik said: "The farm loan waiver money meant for farmers was swindled in cooperative banks. I dared the government for an investigation even in Ghasipura and block of my Keonjhar district."

Former MP and expelled BJD leader Baijyant Panda tweeted: "Seems Biju uncle's old warhorse is firing on all cylinders, as he'd threatened. He'd said he was dropped from Odisha's cabinet last year for ordering inquires on a scam involving a politically powerful bureaucrat. In the first 3 terms of this govt, it wd've been acted upon. Now .??"

BJP vice-president Samir Mohanty said: "After he was removed from the ministry, he had got the opportunity to raise the issue. We had demanded a CBI probe into the co-operative bank scam."

BJD MLA Samir Ranjan Dash, however, said: "Why did not Damo babu raise the issue when he was the minister? If he has any evidence, let him come up with that."