After Odisha BJP president Jual Oram’s attack on former chief minister and Sundargarh MP Hemanand Biswal and four others over alleged forgery of caste certificates, the latter on Monday hit back.
Speaking to this paper, Hemanand described Jual’s allegation as ‘ridiculous’ and targeted against the tribal community.
“The BJP leader has gone mentally and politically bankrupt after his defeat in 2009,” he said. Defending himself as a tribal, Hemanand claimed in his four-decade-long political career he fought 11 elections and never in the past such wild allegations were made.
He said the allegation is politically motivated since there is talk of expansion of the UPA Ministry. “I am ready to face any inquiry to prove my caste. My community members would file defamation suit and lodge criminal complaint against Jual,” he said.
Earlier on Sunday evening at a media conference in Sundargarh town, Hemanand flanked by Talsara and Sundargarh MLAs Prafulla Majhi and Yogesh Singh and Sundargarh Congress Committee president Dushmanta Naik had launched a scathing attack on Jual.
The former Union Tribal Affairs Minister reiterated that Hemanand is a Khandayat Bhuiyan, a non-tribal caste, and he won the Sundargarh MP seat reserved for STs through wrongful presentation of tribal status.
The three-time former MP Jual in March had petitioned the National Commission for Schedule Tribe challenging the caste status of Hemanand, Prafulla and Yogesh, besides BJD’s two unsuccessful MLA seat contestants Sunil Singh Deo and Sanjeev Pratap Singh Deo of the district.
The Commission is learnt to have sent a letter to the State Government which was received by the RDC (north) on July 10 to examine the allegation.
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