Bhubaneswar: The BJP on Thursday said the BJD government was scared of any debate on mining scam in the assembly or elsewhere, and stepped up demand for a CBI probe into the "mineral loot" to unravel facts in view of reported findings of the M B Shah Commission.
"Despite claims by BJD leaders that they are ready for debate on any issue in the assembly, the government is avoiding discussion in the House on mining scam. They are afraid of a possible CBI probe," BJP Odisha president K V Singideo told reporters here.
Slamming the state government for refusing to discuss in the assembly the issue of illegal mining in the light of reported findings of the Shah commission, Singhdeo said it showed that the Chief Minister and the ruling BJD were scared of any debate on alleged plunder of precious minerals.
The Shah Commission report has indicted both the Centre and the Odisha government on illegal mining of iron and manganese ores in its 5-volume report and has asked the state government to recover over Rs 59,203 crore from the miners.
"All modes of illegal mining" are being carried out in the state and "it appears that law has been made helpless because of its systematic non-implementation," the Commission has said.
"The BJD government lacks courage and guts to face the opposition on the leaked Shah commission report," he said claiming that the state government had expressed its opposition to a CBI probe into the matter as the vigilance was investigating the same.
The inquiry by the state government was limited to only six companies while it was silent on 90 other companies, the BJP leader said, adding most of the mines were linked to state-owned Odisha Mining Corporation.
"We once again emphasise that only a CBI probe will get to the bottom of illegal mining activities in the state," Singhdeo said.
The state government was against a CBI probe as it would expose political leaders as well as bureaucrats, he said.
