Vijay Deo Jha | Ranchi
RANCHI | Monday, March 8, 2010
Often not a Press conference over mega scam like the Madhu Koda and Co was interrupted by a person happens to be close to the kingpin of the scam. It happened on Saturday at a Press conference of BJP leader Saryu Rai.
“I have not been getting desired support from the BJP to raise the Madhu Koda scam issue. The same party had supported me during the fodder scam case in Bihar…”
Rai had hardly concluded his statement --- yet to demand a CBI inquiry ---- when a man sitting in the last row suddenly rose up to interrupt him. Interruption came from Soubhik Chattopadhya, a key associate of Binod Sinha, kingpin of the Madhu Koda scam.
Rai had called this Press conference to counter the sting operation allegedly carried on High Court lawyer Ritu Kumar by Chattopadhya with the help of standing council of Jharkhand Government Rajendra Krishna and others. Ritu Kumar is the counsel of Durga Oraon, who had filed public interest litigation against former Jharkhand Chief Minister and others.
In the alleged CD, the lawyer has been allured for accepting Rs 20 lakh as a bribe to tone down the cases against the culprits.
During the Press conference, Rai repeatedly named Chattopadhya for hatching conspiracy against whistleblowers of this case to scuttle the probe. He even provided transcript of the conversation of the CD to support his claim.
“I am Soubhik Chattopadhya, the man you have been naming so frequently. You have your vested interest in this matter and you are politicising it for your own benefit,” Chattopadhya startled everybody by his presence. Allegation and counter allegation started flying from both the sides.
“You agent (expletive deleted) of imposters! Who called you in this Press conference? “Do you think I belong to the bunch of those lawyers,” read Rajendra Krishna, “whom you can purchase. Kick him out. Go away you ***” Rai made an angry retort.
He alleged that like Ritu Kumar the nexus involved in scam are now trying to implicate him also.
The man was taken out of the premises. But before this he was surrounded by wolf packed media to get a bite. And there was a parallel Press conference where Chattopadhya spent payloads of allegations against Rai and some others.
Later Chattopadhya’s close associates alleged manhandling by supporters of Rai outside of the conference hall. “He has been admitted in the Raj Hospital. He suffered injury on the head,” said one of the close associates of Chattopadhya.
Rai resumed from where he was interrupted. “I will continue my crusade against corruption even after my party flinches back from supporting me. I have met central BJP leaders to persuade them to raise this matter at national level.”
But there seems to be no taker in the State BJP to support his demand for a CBI inquiry of the case under supervision of the High Court of Jharkhand. The State Government where the BJP is a key partner has already refused to hand over the case to the CBI stating that the State vigilance department was competent enough to investigate it.
“I feel pity for those,” Rai obliquely referred to Deputy Chief Minister Raghuwar Das and Rajya Sabha MP SS Ahluwaliya, “who believe that State vigilance department can handle such mega scam which has roots in the foreign countries.”
Rai also charged Enforcement Directorate for not handling the case properly. “Things are managed in such a way to help accuses of the case like Manoj Punamiya to get relief from the high court…I had unearthed this scam and I demand CBI inquiry.”
BJP leadership is wrapped in silence now after using its lungs power to demand a CBI probe during Assembly elections. Then the BJP was in the Opposition. It is the BJP in the power now.
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