Now Vigilance targets anti-Naveen plotters

On Monday,Vigilance officials raided Hotel Radhika Regency in Rourkela,where the first meeting for the plotters allegedly took place under the leadership of sacked minister Sarada Prasad Nayak. Keonjhar MLA Subarna Naik had alleged that that some BJD leaders and mineral traders met there on May 26 to raise Rs 200 crore to topple Naveen. A premier hotel in Bhubaneswar,where the dissidents held a meeting on May 29,was also raided.

On Tuesday,the Vigilance raided the house of mine owner K J S Ahluwalia and his brother Prashant Alhuwalia in Rourkela and Barbil. Ahluwalia,an accused in the multi-crore mining scam,allegedly played a role in the coup attempt. An automobile showroom of a businessman in Rourkela was also raided in this connection.

Vigilance Director Surendra Panwar,however,denied the raids had anything to do with the attempt to topple Naveen: These are routine raids to detect tax evasion.

The CM also seems to be keeping an eye on 46 of his party MLAs who reportedly crossed over to the camp of his one-time adviser and BJD MP Pyari Mohan Mohapatra before returning to his fold. A senior BJD leader,who did not wish to be named,said intelligence sleuths were keeping an eye on the activities of the MLAs. The CM at this point is unsure of anyones loyalty, he said.

Naveen has so far sacked three ministers and suspended Mohapatra and two MLAs from the party for the coup attempt.