Bhubaneswar, March 19: Even as firebrand Congress leader Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra Friday claimed possessing clinching evidence on Food Supply & Consumer Welfare Minister receiving favours from tainted ArthaTatwa group of companies, PCC chief Prasad Harichandan said that the ‘gift’ to Dasburma already finds place in the affidavit furnished during investigation into chit fund scam.
Harichandan told newsmen that it is surprising that the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has not taken any action against Dasburma despite the affidavit.
He said he tends to believe that it is due to a ‘tacit understanding’ between Chief Minister and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a startling revelation earlier in the day, the ponzi firm chief Pradip Sethi said he is yet to receive some of his vehicles used during election campaign in 2014.
This comes a day after senior Congress leader Lalatendu Bidyadhar (Lulu) Mohapatra made a veiled attack on Food and Civil Supplies minister Sanjay Dasburma accusing him of using a Pajero SUV gifted by Sethi’s firm.
During his routine appearance at a court here, Sethi told media persons, “During the 2014 election, I was requested by some political leaders to lend some vehicles. Many of these have not returned to me.” Just when he was asked to name the leaders, he was promptly whisked away by the police.
Sethi, however, clarified that the vehicles had only been given for campaigning and not ‘gifted’.
