Opposition Parties in Rayagada take the Cudgel against Minister Saraka, smell Foul play by the Bureaucrats

Badal Tah,Odishabarta

Rayagada, August 28: After Ms Pragyan Paramita, aggrieved wife of the tainted and suspended excise constable Sri Sushanta Patra, exposed the nexus of the excise staff including its Superintendent Sri Prasanna Nayak with SC-ST-OBC-Minorities Minister Sri Jagannath Saraka, district BJP unit of Rayagada burnt the effigy of Saraka near Kapilash Hotel Chowk. Pragyan has said before the media regarding the gratification mede to Saraka in the form of costly LED TV, tiling of his palatial building under construction in Rayagada. Her husband Sushanta, his superior officers with the blessings of Minister Saraka were involved in trafficking illegal contraband “ganja” in and outside the district. Sushanta with the help of liquor mafias like Hari Mohanty paid huge amount of money to Saraka and his other political associates, who were involved in this scandal, said Pragyan. Sushanta must be immediately arrested as he is in a spree to damage all the evidences like the sword he was using to terrorise her, the packets in which he was packing ganja, etc.

Pragyan broke down into tears before media when she narrated the violence meted out to her by none other than her own husband in an heinous mode. She was severely beaten by Sushanta after making her naked to stop her from running outside. Long back she has even complained before the District Collector & SP, Rayagada regarding this domestic violence & turture, but in vein. It is learnt that as Sushanta deals with top notch officers and politicians, no action was taken against him. He even moved in the Lok Seva Bhawan in the Minister Saraka’s vehicle.

After the extortion and bribe deal video and audio, where two excise constables & superintendent were directly involved, went viral, the Excise Commissioner Sri Asish Singh immediately suspended both the constables and asked the District Collector Sri Saroj Mishra to institute an inquiry. When members of Society for Fast Justice, an outfit having a corruption watch agenda, wrote to Asish Singh, he responded positively and asked the members to be further updated by the Collector regarding the status of inquiry. As the Collector Mishra is generally not accessible either in person or through any digital platforms, the people of Rayagada are still in dark regarding the status of inquiry.

“Saraka boasts that he is grounded, still ploughs his land and poses for a photograph. Nice stories are carried pampering him; but behind the scene there is serious value denigration when it is exposed. Apart from tiles works which run to lakhs, the plumping, electricity and the general construction expenses of his ongoing palatial building at Rayagada town are borne by liquor mafias, ITDA contractors and technical staff. Austerity of a farmer is really laughable”, said Sri Shyama Dash, Rayagada Town BJP President.

During Saraka’s effigy burning at Bissam Cuttack, BJP under the leadership of Sri Siba Shankar Ulaka, Ex-District BJP President and MLA candidate from Bissam Cuttack Constituency from where Saraka won, has demanded the ouster of Saraka from Naveen’s ministry.  According to him, the corruption charges against Saraka is not new. Earlier it was proved thathe had links with smugglers of precious stones.

During a press conference in Muniguda the leaders of Congress party has said that this episode has a nexus upto the third floor of the Lok Seva Bhawan and also made similar demand. As Prasanna Naik, excise superintendent, the main culprit of the episode is not yet touched, this gives a benefit of doubt, said Sri Janmejay Swain, State General Secretary, AAP, who led a protest in front of the Collectorate. This corruption is just tips of the iceberg and the tainted constables and the excise superintendent must be arrested immediately, demanded Swain.