BJP slams Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik for tacit support to liquor traders
Bhubaneswar: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday took a swipe at the Odisha government and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over the seizure of Rs 350 crore cash by the Income Tax (I-T) department from liquor traders in Western Odisha. It said the hoarding of such huge volumes of money could not have been possible without the tacit support of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
Addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal said CM Naveen Patnaik who always says the law will take its own course, was surprisingly silent on this cash seizure case.
“Why is CM Naveen Patnaik silent? Does he fear the probe will expose a link between Naveen Niwas and the liquor mafias?” Biswal asked.
Mentioning that the country-liquor trade flourished under the very nose of the state administration, the BJP leader said Boudh Distilleries Private Limited at Harabhanga in Boudh, one of the leading country-liquor manufacturing unit, was inaugurated by CM Naveen Patnaik on a virtual mode under the ‘Make In Odisha’ initiative.
“While many proposed projects are languishing due to bureaucratic red-tapism in Odisha for over five to six years now, the liquor manufacturing plant was ready for inauguration in just one year, after its approval in 2018. Moreover, the CM could spare time for the inauguration of the liquor plant, whereas he never finds time to visit any school or college for that matter,” Biswal said.
Indicating links between the Odisha CM with liquor baron Ritesh Sahu, Biswal alleged, “Ritesh Sahu is the Managing Director of Boudh Distilleries Pvt ltd. He is also the nephew of Chhattisgarh’s Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu.
The business group has 62 country-liquor manufacturing units in Bolangir district alone. The district does not have a single milk processing plant. Were there any kickbacks for Naveen Niwas from that liquor manufacturing group for allowing them to manufacture and sell country-made liquor unabatedly?”
The BJP Yuva Morcha activists on Wednesday held a massive protest over the seizure of cash and burnt the effigy of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
The reaction of the BJD as well as the state government could not be obtained on the allegation yet.
