Bhubaneswar: A day after the state unit of saffron party accused BJD-led government in the state for violating model code of conduct by favouring POSCO in the leasing of iron ore mines prior to second phase of election, the ruling regional party on Tuesday hit back at its former ally by pointing fingers at the former industries minister who was from the BJP.
“If there was any kickback (in the POSCO project), it should be known to former industries minister B B Harichandan who hailed from BJP," BJD secretary general Damodar Rout said in a statement.
On Monday, BJP brought allegation against Naveen Patnaik that he violated the model code of conduct by signing a file relating to Khandadhar iron ore reserve on April 19, three days before the second phase of polling in Orissa.
The BJP leaders including its state president Suresh Pujari also alleged a huge kickback in the POSCO deal.
Earlier, BJD’s veteran leader Pyarimohan Mohapatra rubbished the allegation. He said that BJD never violated any code conduct. “The allegation is baseless,” he said. BJD is ready to face any kind of inquiry, the party leader told.
When contacted Harichandan termed BJD's claim as "false and politically motivated" and said he was kept in the dark about the steel project all along.
“Though I was industries minister when the MoU for the POSCO project was signed on June 22, 2005, I had been opposing it since the beginning,” he told adding that he had boycotted the MoU signing ceremony as a mark of protest. “Moreover, everybody knows that industries department has no role in the project, which is being dealt with by steel and mines department,” he said.
Source : OTV Bureau
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