PM ventilator, CBI oxygen cylinder and Naveen patient: Jairam

BHUBANESWAR: Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh on Saturday slammed both the Naveen Patnaik government and Narendra Modi government for having a tacit deal not to allow the CBI to probe the chit fund and mining scams in Odisha.

Ramesh described Prime Minister as ventilator, CBI as oxygen cylinder and Naveen Patnaik as patient.

Stating that union Tribal Affairs minister Jual Oram has spilled the bean over BJP-BJD nexus, the Congress demanded Supreme Court-monitored CBI inquiry into the chit fund and mining scams.

“The chit fund and mining scams have full involvement of politicians and bureaucrats. The political nexus and the involvement of persons in the scams should be brought to book. But, the centre is not allowing the CBI to probe independently. That’s why we want a Supreme Court-monitored CBI probe, not Narendra Modi monitored CBI probe,” Jairam told media persons here.

Speaking of the contentious Polavaram irrigation project being constructed by Andhra Pradesh government with the support of the centre, he said the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh should come together, and the centre should take the lead to discuss the matter.

He said the construction of the project should not go ahead without holding Gram Sabhas in the affected areas.