Bhubaneswar, April 9: more trouble appeared on card for Odisha Food Supply and Consumer Welfare Minister Sanjay Dasburma, who is embroiled in opposition allegations over his alleged links with tainted chit fund company Arthatatwa group, as Opposition Congress and Bhartiya Janata Party levelled fresh allegations that as many as five companies run by a kin of the minister was supported financially by the tainted chit fund companies in the State.
Both the parties demanded a probe by the Central bureau of Investigation into the affairs of the five companies headquartered in the house where the minister resides with his family members in Saheed Nagar area of the State capital.
Senior Congress leader Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra, who recently alleged that the Minister had received favours from AT groups of companies in shape of Pajero vehicles, today gave a list of the five companies in which Dasburma kin are allegedly involved.
Mohapatra said Dasburma’s family members were involved with Nilachala Granite Pvt Ltd, Nilachala Mining Pvt Ltd, Team Media and Hospitality Pvt Ltd, Nilachala Builders Pvt Ltd and Techoshine Info Solution Pvt Ltd.
The registered office of all these companies is L-3/2 Labour Colony in Kharavela Nagar, Unit-3 of Bhubaneswar, Dasburma’s residence, he asserted.
State BJP vice president Sameer Mohanty said, “The directors of the companies are Satyprakash Jayasingh, Suryaprakash Jayasingh, Bhimsen Jayasingh, Ramakrishna Das, the minister’s father, and Sailabala Dasburma, wife of the minister.”
“BJP demands CBI should investigate into the investment in these five companies done with the profit money of chit fund companies as well as money laundering aspect,” he said.
Mohapatra said, “The investigation should find out who are the proprietors of these companies and their turnover. Besides, the relationship of Jayasingh with these companies should be found out.” These are just five of the 21 companies in which the Jayasinghs are directors, he added.
However, BJD spokesman Pratap Jena defending Dasburma said, “ The charges are a way to defame the ruling party. At present, Congress and BJP have joined hands to defame us in the State. Why is the file being reopened now when Pradip Sethi was interrogated around one and half years ago and charge sheet has already been made in the chit-fund scam case?
He also expressed surprise that the opposition leaders had access to CBI’s secret documents. “It is clear that the motive is to defame us while raising an unnecessary issue.”
Meanwhile, Dasburma met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at his office in the state secretariat in Bhubaneswar before the Chief Minister left for New Delhi on a five day visit giving rise to speculations that it concerned CBI notice to the Minister.