Bhubaneswar, Nov. 26: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing into the money deposit collection scam in the state, has summoned Choudwar-Cuttack BJD MLA Prabhat Biswal's wife Laxmibilasini and BJD Balasore MP Rabindra Jena to appear before it within two days in connection with their dealings with Seashore group, which is under the agency's scanner.
The CBI summons, coming a day after BJP president Amit Shah's rally in Bhubaneswar where he raised a war cry against the state government, has raised eyebrows.
The CBI, which had taken up the probe following a Supreme Court directive, had interrogated both Laxmibilasini and Jena in the past as well. While Laxmibilasini's case pertains to a land deal with the Seashore group, Jena, a first-time MP, was quizzed in connection with the dealings of a company that he had headed before being elected to the Lok Sabha.
In the wake of his wife's grilling by the CBI in 2014, Biswal had said the matter pertained to a piece of land measuring 32 gunthas at Benapur village in Jajpur district. Similarly, last year, Jena had appeared before the CBI over the alleged business links of a company with the Seashore group that he headed.
Though no BJD leader commented openly, they questioned the timing of the CBI summons to Jena and Laxmibilasini. "It came just a day after Amit Shah's rally in Bhubaneswar. Yesterday, he asked his workers to throw out the Naveen Patnaik government and now this has happened. Are we wrong in suspecting that there is an ulterior motive behind this?" asked a BJD leader.
The allegation was, however, rejected out of hand by BJP leader Pruthviraj Harichandan, who said the CBI was an independent agency and sent summons to people only after a thorough inquiry.
"They will question people only if they are convinced that there is a need to do so," said the leader.
The BJD leaders' alleged involvement in the Ponzi scam has been a cause of concern for the party as this has provided ammunition to its opponents.
While Ramchandra Handa, a sitting MP of the party, is still in jail in connection with the scam, its Banki MLA Pravat Tripathy is out on bail.
While the CBI is probing into the scam, the state government has also formed a judicial commission to investigate the scandal.
