Cong says Oram's CBI probe remark proves deal between BJP, BJD

Opposition Congress today said its claim about a "deal" between BJD and BJP to bail out each other has proved to be true by Union minister Jual Oram's reported statement that Odisha government should thank the Centre for slow CBI probe into chitfund and mining scams.
"I have been saying for long that there is a deal between BJD and BJP. Now, Union minister Jual Oram has admitted it.
"The deal between Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is that BJD will support the NDA government in Rajya Sabha and the Centre in return will let off BJD leaders from CBI's net in regard to the chitfund and mining scam," Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Naraingha Mishra told reporters here.

Mishra was reacting to a statement made by Oram to a TV channel during an interview yesterday. "The Centre let them (BJD govt) off the hook in scams. Otherwise the state government would have been finished by the CBI," he had said.
Oram, however, claimed today that his statement has been misinterpreted. "I have not spoken about any deal. I yesterday told the TV (channel) that CBI going slow in chitfund and mining scam is the perception of the people. Not my own."
He asserted that there was no deal between BJD and BJP. "BJD is sometimes supporting us and sometimes opposing NDA government. There is absolutely no deal between the BJD and BJP as alleged by the Congress," Oram said.

AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi during his recent visit to Odisha had raked up the issue of CBI allegedly going slow in the chitfund scam probe and hinted at such a deal during the farmers' rally at Bargarh in September last year.

Rejecting Congress allegation, BJD spokesman Pratap Keshari Deb said, "The argument of the union minister is unjustifiable. Earlier they (BJP) used to accuse us of theft and used to claim that they would catch all our wrongdoings. Now they are claiming that they are helping us. The hide and seek game they are playing must stop."
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who visited the state today, said, "I am not aware about Oram's statement. I saw something in newspapers. I will speak to the Union minister."

CBI is an autonomous organisation and is doing its job independently, the Oil Minister added.