‘PPE scam’: Cong threatens more protests
Bhubaneswar: The Congress’s state unit on Tuesday said it would step up attack on the BJD government over the alleged irregularities in the purchase of masks, personal protective equipment (PPE) kits and medical supplies for the treatment of Covid-19 patients.
“We will move the central vigilance commission and the Lokayukta to seek action against the government. Earlier, we had demanded a CBI probe or a judicial inquiry into the scam,” Congress state president Niranjan Patnaik said.
Niranjan also took a dig at health minister Naba Das. “He has refused to respond to our questions. He said government officials will respond. I want to ask him, did people vote for bureaucrats or BJD? Chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s silence has also upset people,” he said.
Niranjan alleged that the government had purchased masks and other lifesaving equipment at higher rates.
The demand for an independent probe has grown louder following the removal of industries and MSME secretary Hemant Sharma from a panel supervising the purchase of pharmaceutical goods and medical equipment for Covid-19 on Friday.