TNI Bureau: The Odisha Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continued to corner the BJD-led Odisha Government over the recent seizure of huge cash by the Income Department from the premises of liquor baron and Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand, Dhiraj Sahu.
While addressing the media at the party office in Bhubaneswar, spokesperson Anil Biswal questioned why is the state government is silent even after 7 days on the seizure of huge black money by the income tax department on the premises of the liquor mafia in Odisha? Does the government have anything to do with the company that was running these distilleries? Why was the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik himself present at the inauguration of Boudh Distillery in 2019?
Not only that, but why are those liquor mafias given undue support in government programs like “Make in Odisha”? he asked.
An idea has now been created in the minds of the common people of the State that the Odisha government was working in the interests of the liquor mafia, Biswal said adding that the state government should clarify these issues immediately.
He said, “According to Article 7 of the Constitution, everything related to the sale of liquor is the state government’s business.” However, the state government is maintaining a stoic silence while the whole country is discussing the raids on liquor units in Odisha.
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The BJP spokesperson further said that it is surprising that the Chief Minister is silent over such a big issue. How and under what circumstances this company was part of the “Make in Odisha” is another big issue, he added.
In Odisha, the government’s potato mission, onion mission etc. failed, but the wine mission has been very successful, he alleged.
The controversial Boudh Distillery has a dominant position in the domestic liquor business in Odisha. Government’s unemployment policy is responsible for this. In Odisha, since 2000, the country liquor units are only being renovated. No auction or retender is done. Over 50 thousand crore rupees liquor corruption has been done in Odisha, Biswal said adding that there are 62 wineries in Balangir district alone. Over 8 lakh liters of liquor are sold in Odisha every day. According to the National Family Health Survey, 30 percent of people in rural areas drink alcohol. The Biju Janata Dal government indulge one lakh people into drinking and extort money for elections.
BJD is currently the richest party among all regional parties. Where did that team get so much money from, he asked.
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