Opposition allegation on mining scam purely political: Naveen

Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today described the Opposition BJP and some others' allegations, stating that huge quantity of minerals were being illegally mined and smuggled out, as a political gimmick.

On his return from Delhi, Mr Patnaik told newspersons that the vigilance department was looking into all aspects of the matter and taking necessary steps.

A six-member BJP Parliamentary team, led by Rajya Sabha member Balbir Punj, arrived here yesterday on a three-day visit to get first hand information about the scam.

The team members said they would raise the issue in Parliament and demanded a CBI probe into the matter.

Commenting on the BJP Parliamentary team's statement to raise the multicrore mining scam in Parliament, Mr Patnaik said since last few months the BJP and some others have been making ''false allegations'' about the mining scam.

On the growing Naxal menance, the Chief Minister said the state government had been requesting the Centre to send seven more battalions of Central forces, but in vain.

The state government, on its part, had taken a number of steps to counter the Naxals by recruiting and training them.

Mr Patnaik said strong action would be taken against criminals involved in the murder of a jail warden in Bhubaneswar.

On the farmers' suicide, the Chief Minister said the state government was taking steps to bring more land under irrigation in rain-fed areas in a bid to make farmers less dependent on rain.

-- (UNI) -- 05CA24.xml

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