BHUBANESWAR: The Opposition Congress continued its tirade against Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the Assembly on Friday by alleging that he is playing politics over flood assistance to cover up the inefficiency of his Government. Reacting to Naveen’s earlier charge that the Opposition is shedding crocodile tears, the party retorted saying it’s the Chief Minister who is doing it. Raising the flood issue during the Zero Hour, Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh said the Centre released assistance of Rs 918 crore for the devastating floods of September-October. But the State Government did not admit it in the House on Thursday.Singh said the State Government had also suppressed the fact in 2009 when Centre had sanctioned Rs 518 crore assistance for flood. Revenue Minister Surya Narayan Patro admitted it only after the Opposition produced Centre’s fund sanction order.Congress Chief Whip Prasad Harichandan was more strident in his criticism of the Government on the issue. Alleging that memorandum on the flood was submitted by the State Government to the Centre one and a half month later, Harichandan said assistance was announced after the high level committee (HLC) met.Referring to the statement of the Revenue Minister that the State Government had completed all the relief and rehabilitation measures by spending Rs 271 crore, the Congress member asked why was a memorandum seeking assistance of Rs 3,000 crore submitted. Was it for panchayat polls, he asked.Harichandan came down heavily on the Chief Minister for accusing Opposition members of shedding crocodile tears over issues of development of Odisha. It is the Chief Minister who is shedding crocodile tears and not the Opposition members, he said.Alleging that the manner in which the Chief Minister uttered the word Kumbhira Kandana (crodile tears) was demeaning for Odia language and people, Harichandan criticised the Chief Minister for not learning to speak or write Odia even after 12 years. How can such a person have any feeling for Odia people or Odisha, he said.Harichandan said the resolution passed by the State Cabinet urging the Centre to pass legislation for imposing mineral resource rent tax is yet another instance by the Chief Minister to hoodwink the people for the panchayat polls. Stating that the case on the Bill on imposing tax on mineral-bearing land is now pending in the Supreme Court for the last several years, Harichandan asked why has not the State Government taken any step for the speedy disposal of the case. The High Court struck down the Bill which was hastily passed in the Assembly despite protest from the Opposition. The Government went to the Supreme Court not in the interest of the State but to protect the interest of companies, he said and added does it suit the Chief Minister now to accuse the Opposition of shedding crocodile tears.
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