Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) has intensified its attack on the state government, demanding the resignation of Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra for allegedly filing a false affidavit during the 2024 general elections.
Simultaneously, the party submitted an 11-point charter of demands to the Governor, focusing on tribal rights and welfare.
At a press conference held at Congress Bhawan here Saturday, senior party leaders Debasis Patnaik, Lalatendu Mohapatra, and spokesperson Rajani Mohanty accused Minister Krushna Chandra Patra of concealing a key financial transaction in his election affidavit.
They claimed that in 2021, Patra had reportedly paid Rs 25 lakh in advance to one Niranjan Satapathy for a land deal, which later led to a cheating complaint.
Despite this, the transaction was not mentioned in his affidavit, which declared assets worth Rs 7.35 lakh, an annual income of Rs 20 lakh, and no outstanding loans.
Citing provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and constitutional norms, the Congress urged the Election Commission to take immediate and suo motu action against Minister Patra.
The party also questioned the Chief Minister’s silence and inaction in removing Patra from the Cabinet, despite his involvement in previous controversies, including alleged irregularities in paddy procurement and potato import Meanwhile, stepping up its advocacy for tribal welfare, a delegation from the OPCC tribal unit, led by former MP Yashbant Narayan Singh Laguri, met Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati and submitted a memorandum outlining 11 key demands.
The charter criticised the poor implementation of the PESA Act in Odisha and called for clear rules to protect tribal rights over water, forest, and land.
PNN