Bhubaneswar: Demanding a CBI probe into
the dal scam in Orissa, Congress on Monday staged a silent dharna
outside Raj Bhavan here while BJP planned to seek President
Pratibha Patil`s intervention.
Some women organisations also asked Chief Minister
Naveen Patnaik to resign taking moral responsibility for
feeding "poisonous" pulses to children and pregnant women.
Activists of Youth Congress led by their state
president and Lok Sabha MP Pradeep Kumar Majhi, sat on a
silent dharna in front of the Raj Bhavan here by covering
their mouth with black cotton.
They submitted a memorandum to Governor M C Bhadare
seeking CBI probe into fraud in purchase of pulses for midday
meal scheme and supplementary nutrition programme.
"We will take agitation to the village level as the
poor children and women are victims of gross irregularities
done by the state government," Majhi told reporters holding
the administration responsible for adverse impact on health
of women and children due to consumption of infected pulses.
Coinciding with Congress`s silent protest, BJP
national general secretary Kiriti Somaya arrived here on a
fact finding mission and collect samples of bad quality dal
given to children and women in different districts of Orissa.
"The party will submit a report on the dal scam in
Orissa to the President of India with evidence," Somaya said.
A 12-member team will begin their `fact finding`
tomorrow, said BJP`s state president Jual Oram.
A group of women activists under the banner of Agrani
Mahila Sangathan and Nai Talim asked the chief minister to
step down owning moral responsibility of the scam.
Meanwhile, chief secretary B K Patnaik said the
officials including IAS officers would be chargesheeted for
their role in the dal scam.
PTI
