The BJP on Tuesday accused the ruling BJD in Orissa of serving “poison” to nearly 1.17 lakh schoolchildren in the form of supplying “adulterated” and “substandard” dal under the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) and Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP). The party announced that it would soon lodge a first information report (FIR) with
all “appropriate” authorities seeking prosecution of chief minister Naveen Patnaik, women and child development minister Pramila Mallick and others who are responsible for the “criminal” act.
“By March 8, the party will collect all documentary evidences regarding the multi-crore dal scam and submit it to party national president Nitin Gadkari. A month later on April 8, the BJP will submit copies of the FIR to Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Chief Vigilance Commissioner, governor of Orissa, the President of India. Then, we will approach the governor requesting him to direct the police to investigate into the shady deal,” BJP national secretary Kirit Somaiya told reporters here at press conference in the afternoon.
In the morning, Mr Somaiya visited two primary schools under Nilagiri block in Balasore district for an on-the-spot inspection of the quality of dal served to schoolchildren.
“What I found in the schools that despite so much of revelation, the children were still being served substandard dal. This is quite unfortunate and speaks about the state government’s lack of will to correct the shattered system,” Mr Somaiya added.
Alleging that the chief minister, Ms Mallick and senior government officials had connived to procure and supply adulterated dal to make money through the middlemen, the BJP leader said it was a breach of trust on the part of the CM and the minister.
The BJP holds that the state government, violating the Supreme Court and high court directives to procure dal at market price through local committees, was supplying adulterated dal to primary schools across the state.