**Bhubaneswar: ** In the backdrop of the arrests of two Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) since Sunday this week for their alleged involvement in the multi-crore Rose Valley chit fund scam and are now in Odisha facing grilling of the CBI sleuths, rumour mill in the Odisha capital city abuzz attributing such action to a fallout of political vendetta against TMC’s vehement protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unprecedented demonetisation.
Political gossip goes that TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nationwide anti-demonetisation demonstrations have boomeranged on her party by earning the BJP-led Centre’s ire.
On the contrary, it is alleged that Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s prompt support to PM Modi’s demonetisation and anti-black money-cum-anti-corruption drive has spared his BJD MPs and MLAs from being in the CBI dragnet despite their alleged links in the multi-crore ponzi scam, be it Rose Valley, Artha Tatwa or Seashore chit fund scams.
After addressing a party rally ‘Chetana Samvesh’ at Jatni in Khurda district on the day, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Prasad Harichandan said to media, “CBI has arrested two TMC MPs in connection with the mega chit fund scam. Now we’re eagerly waiting for Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s arrest as he is also involved in the multi-crore chit fund scam.”
Defending his parent party at the Central helms of affairs, Odisha BJP MLA Pradeep Purohit in his media reactions on Wednesday said, “The arrests of TMC MPs has got no link between demonetisation and chit fund probe by CBI. The CBI is doing its job in a nice way. Mamata Banerjee protested demonetisation for which such CBI action is a wrong notion. Overnight CBI can’t arrest one. After being confirmed about their involvements during the ongoing probe, the TMC MPs have been arrested.”
On the other hand, pointing finger at the ruling BJD in Odisha, the BJP MLA alleged, “Mamata Banerjee has a close rapport with Odisha’s BJD Government. Two BJD ministers had been to Kolkata to celebrate Odisha Divas there. I hope CBI is leading its probe to establish the unholy nexus of BJD leaders and TMC leaders in the multi-crore Rose Valley chit fund scam. Eventually, such BJD leaders will be exposed.”
Refuting such charges, BJD spokesperson Rabi Narayan Nanda told media, “Opposition has crossed all limits of levelling false allegations and uttering funny talks. I’m unable to understand what link BJD has got with the arrests. It’s absolutely false and baseless keeping an eye on the Panchayat polls. If they keep on daring so, we’ll take legal recourse against such wild allegations.”
