Congress, BJP to raise Archana Nag blackmailing issue in Assembly

Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingha Mishra on Monday said the party would raise the Archana Nag blackmailing case in the winter session of the state assembly and sought a reply from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the arrest of an accused by ED while Odisha Police failed to nab him.

The Enforcement Directorate is reported to have informed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on black money of having traced financial transactions amounting to Rs 20 crore in the woman blackmailer case, Mishra told reporters.

He said that the ED also arrested an accused allegedly let off by Odisha police.

''It proves that Odisha Police is shielding those involved in the racket. Someone who was spared by the police has now been arrested by the ED immediately after it began a probe in the case,'' Mishra said.

The CLP leader was apparently referring to the arrest of Khageswar Patra, a business partner of Archana and her husband Jagabandhu Chand. The ED must not have arrested the accused without having sufficient evidence, he said.

''Therefore, I demand a reply from the chief minister as to how the state police spared people involved in the racket,'' Mishra said alleging that many ruling party leaders were linked to the woman who allegedly blackmailed rich and influential persons.

Referring to the chit fund case, the CLP leader said that most of those involved in the woman blackmailer case are also involved in the chit fund case. While BJD is the ruling party in Odisha, BJP is in power at the Centre and both are like two sides of the same coin.

''Who will catch the culprit? However, there is a silver lining. The SIT on black money took cognisance of the case and directed the Income Tax department to investigate,'' he said.

Meanwhile, BJP chief whip in Odisha Assembly, Mohan Majhi said his party would intensify Archana Nag issue in Assembly. Majhi said the BJP activists across the state have agitated demanding action against those involved in the case. The party demands a CBI probe into the incident as the Odisha Police was not competent to probe into the case where ruling party leaders were involved, he said.

PTI AAM RG

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)