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Minister in trouble again

CUTTACK: The Orissa Higher Education Minister and Cuttack city legislator Samir Dey is once again in trouble as demands for his resignation from the Cabinet and arrest is gaining ground.

This time the BJP leader is in trouble following allegations of his link with a henchman of the noted gangster Hyder. The henchman was arrested from the city last week.

The Balangir police arrested Mirza Ayub Ali, alias Sikander, a BJP Yuva Morcha member and the secretary of the party minority cell of the city for his alleged role in kidnapping and murder of a Keonjhar-based mines owner. Believed to be a close associate of tender mafia Hyder, the BJP youth leader till yesterday was a close associate of the Minister.

It is even alleged that the Minister has also business links with arrested Sikandar and was using the latter’s vehicle for his official purpose with red lights on.

Demanding immediate resignation of the Minister, the city Congress activists on Monday submitted a memorandum to the city DCP S.K. Priyadarshi seeking the arrest of the Minister for ‘providing shelter and having link with a gangster’.

“The Minister should step down on moral grounds,” said city Congress chief Suresh Mohapatra.

Going one step ahead, the NCP leaders demanded that the Minister should be arrested on charges of harbouring anti-socials.

This is for the second time in recent days the demand for the BJP leader’s resignation from the Cabinet is raised.

Mr. Dey was in trouble last year when the State Election Commission asked the district returning officer to take legal action against the Minister for submitting false affidavits during filing of nomination papers for the 2004 Assembly elections.

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