Dhamnagar bypoll: Dharmendra Pradhan drops central agency probe bombshell                                

BHUBANESWAR: As the high decibel campaign for the Dhamnagar by-election came to an end on Tuesday evening, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan dropped a bombshell indicating that investigation by a central agency has started into the Archana Nag case.

Addressing a election rally at Dhusuri village in his second leg of campaign for BJP candidate Suryabanshi Suraj, the Union minister alleged several BJD ministers and top leaders of the party are allegedly involved in illegal mining business.

“While some top BJD leaders are in the trap of infamous Archana Nag, who is in judicial custody and facing serious charges of sextortion, many low rung leaders are minting money through illegal means,” Pradhan said. Asserting that nobody will be spared having links with the Archana case, Pradhan said, “I came to know from the local media that investigation into the sensational case has started from Delhi.” 
He further cautioned that those BJD leaders involved in illegal stone quarry mining will also not be spared indicating to the large scale mining of stone and murram in Jajpur district.

The statement of the minister came at a time when his party in the state had undertaken a series of agitational programmes, demanding CBI probe into the Archana Nag case. Coming down heavily on Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s assurance to take care of Bhadrak’s development just before the by-election, Pradhan sought to know what the BJD government had done for the district in the last 22 years.

“Despite being in power for the last 22 years, you (CM) have been luring people for votes. You even did not take the responsibility for a medical college in Bhadrak and a textile park. What more can you do,” Pradhan remarked.

Accusing the Chief Minister of deliberately scuttling his move to establish a medical college in Bhadrak under Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK), Pradhan showed two separate letters written by him to the CM and then Union Minister of Minority Affairs.

Polling for the seat will be held on November 3.