Pressure on Congress to act on tainted MLAs

BHUBANESWAR: After the suspension of Lanjigarh MLA Shivaji Majhi, pressure is mounting on the Congress leadership to take action against Gregory Minz. Flouting party whip, Minz, party legislator from Rajgangpur, had also abstained from voting in the 2010 Rajya Sabha polls .Sources said a section of the party has demanded that Minz should also be suspended. Their abstentions had led to the victory of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in all the three seats. There should not be any discrepancy as both of them are guilty of the same thing, a senior party leader said. Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) chief spokesperson Arjya Kumar Gyanendra said nobody will be spared. The party had to act immediately in case of Majhi after the audio tape exposure as it had enough evidence against him. The three-member committee, set up by the party to look into the entire incident afresh, has already started its work and would submit its findings soon. Action will be taken based on its report. The committee comprises former chief minister Giridhar Gamang, former ministers Narasingh Mishra and Nalini Kanta Mohanty. Gyanendra said action will also be taken against the MLA whose vote was declared invalid as it seems to be an act designed to help the BJD candidate. He said the committee will find out who was actually behind this. Two audio tapes, one exposing the alleged involvement of two ministers of state, Pushpendra Singhdeo and Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, in the purchase of Opposition MLAs and the other about one BJP MLA, have brought the spotlight back on the alleged horse trading by the BJD during the Rajya Sabha polls.   The Congress and the BJP have demanded a probe by the CBI into the entire incident. Holding Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik responsible for the horse trading, the Congress has also demanded his immediate resignation.