Hours after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Biju Janata Dal legislator Pravat Ranjan Biswal for his alleged links with a chit fund firm, the ruling party on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of using the agency to pursue political vendetta.
The BJP’s vendetta has been proved with Mr. Biswal’s arrest happening days after BJP chief Amit Shah threatened to send BJD leaders to jail at a rally in the city, senior Ministers Maheswar Mohanty and Sashi Bhushan Behera and Rajya Sabha Members Prasanna Acharya and Pratap Keshari Deb said at a press conference.
The arrest of Mr. Biswal has raised suspicion as the CBI had not arrested him despite questioning him several times since 2014, they said.
Alleging that the CBI was conducting investigation into the chit fund scam as per the orders of the BJP bosses, the BJD leaders said that they would fight the saffron party politically.
Hundreds of supporters of Mr. Biswal also gathered outside the CBI office in Bhubaneswar. They alleged that the BJP for misusing the investigating agency for political gains.
Another chit fund scam
BJD MP from Mayurbhanj Ramachandra Hansda, who was arrested by the CBI in 2014 for his alleged links with another chit fund firm, is still in judicial custody.
Another BJD legislator Pravat Kumar Tripathy, who was also arrested in 2014 for his alleged links with a separate ponzi firm, has since been granted bail.
Correspondent adds from Cuttack: Mr. Biswal was on Tuesday remanded in five days of CBI custody by the special CBI court in Bhubaneswar after rejection of his bail application. The Cuttack-Choudwar MLA was taken into custody by the CBI sleuths on Monday night.
Three-time MLA
The three-time MLA and his wife Laxmibilasini, a former Zilla Parishad President, were quizzed several times in past three years by the CBI over a controversial land deal between Laxmibilasini and the chit fund company M/s Seashore Group.
