Senior BJP leader and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan Wednesday accused Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik of "feeding the demon of corruption" and alleged the BJD government in the state was "neck deep in corruption".
Pradhan's statement came two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleged during a public meeting in Odisha on December 24 that the "demon of corruption" is gaining strength in the state and had asked who has been feeding the "demons".
Pradhan alleged that Saroj Sahoo, a former employee at Patnaik's house, the Naveen Niwas, was a "small demon of corruption". "Let Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik clarify what relationship he has with Saroj Sahoo," Pradhan asked addressing a party meeting here.
Sahoo had been interrogated by the CBI in connection with the multi-crore rupees chit fund scam about three years ago.
Launching a frontal attack on the chief minister, Pradhan also accused Patnaik of misleading the people about centrally-sponsored schemes, ignoring farmers' plight and resorting to double-standards on women's issues.
Rejecting Patnaik's allegations, levelled at the BJD's foundation day function in the morning, that the Centre was neglecting Odisha in all spheres, Pradhan claimed it was the state government which failed to utilise the central funds and provide land as promised for early completion of rail and road projects in the state.
Patnaik, he said, had no right to raise questions on the Centre's role in the development of national highways, rail infrastructure, coal mining and BSNL connectivity, when his administration itself had "failed" on all fronts.
On the CM's allegation that women are not being able to refill LPG cylinders due to its high price, the union petroleum minister said, "Let the CM find out a single household, including those in his Hinjali constituency, where refilling had not been done."