Jagdish Tytler in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, March 30: Congress Working Committee (CWC) member and in-charge of party’s Orissa affairs Jagdish Tytler has set the cat among the pigeons by stating that action would be taken against party leaders found to be involved in mining scam.

Addressing the party workers on Tuesday, Tytler said that he had information that many congress leaders were involved in the scam. “I have specific information that many leaders are involved in the mining scam. We have to weed them out. We cannot take on the Naveen Patnaik government on the issue of the scam without doing this,” he said.

Tytler’s assertion has put a number of Congress leaders on the backfoot. “While some Congress leaders will be in an awkward position, the workers of the party at the village level will be immensely happy. If Tytler is successful in convincing people that Congress is free from mafia activities, the party is bound to reap good benefits,” said a Congress leader.

For the first time, BJD government is in deep trouble after being caught in the mining scam. “Only by bringing mining scam back on the centrestage, the Congress can stage a come back in the state. Tytler wants to hammer on this point,” said another leader. While meeting the congress workers, Tytler said he would offer them party posts but they should be careful that none of them turn out to be a mining mafia. “If Tytler takes a tough stand on the mining mafia, the government will find itself in an awkward position. However, we will have to wait and see whether Tytler becomes successful in his plan. Earlier, all AICC members who had taken charge never talked on such lines,” said a senior Congress leader.

Interestingly, no Congress leader is ready to give his opinion on the style of the functioning of the Tytler. “Tytler has already instructed the state Congress leaders to construct a room for him at the Pradesh Congress Committee’s office. He will operate from here to revamp the state Congress,” he said.

Tytler is planning to visit across the state before finalising his team. “An air-conditioned bus will soon reach here. Tytler will tour across the state along with various leaders on that bus to know the ground realities,” said another leader.

Significantly, the BJD leadership is at a backfoot for the first time. The BJD which has never used religion as its card till now, was trying to corner Tytler on his entry to the Jagannath temple. After Tytler came out with a statement that he was a Hindu and visited the Jagannath temple four times earlier, the BJD leadership is now trying other ways to attack Tytler.