By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday moved the state human rights panel in Orissa seeking health check up of all the children and women who consumed pulses after a scandal involving irregularities in its supply broke out in the state.
“A team led by state unit vice president and spokesman Ashok Sahu met State Human Rights Commission chairman Justice R.K. Patra and submitted a memorandum to him,” BJP media cell coordinator Anil Dir told IANS.
“In the memorandum, the team asked the commission to conduct a probe into the matter and take necessary steps to prevent the circulation of contaminated pulses in the state.
“The memorandum has sought a direction to the government for a medical check up of all the women and children who ate the pulses during past year,” he said, adding that “the long term effects of this slow poison needs to be studied and assessed”.
The alleged scam came to light after the state vigilance department last month claimed that there were irregularities in the supply of pulses to children and women at several places.
Pramila Mallik resigned as the state’s woman and child development minister Saturday and three senior government officers faced action over the scandal.
The BJP and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik were alliance partners both at the state and in the National Democratic Alliance at the centre until the BJD walked out of the partnership before the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in 2009.