False affidavit row: Action against Remuna MLA demanded

BHUBANESWAR: The members of the Utkal Bharat party on Tuesday demanded action against Remuna MLA Sudarshan Jena for filing of false affidavit during submission of his nomination paper for the Assembly election in 2009. A party delegation handed over a memorandum to the Speaker of the Odisha Assembly demanding investigation into the matter.

Party president Kharvela Swain said that MLA Jena had mentioned his sub-caste as Kandara in his affidavit during the 2009 election, but his land records show that he belongs to Kuduma caste. In 2002, Jena had purchased a land from Sahadevkhunta area in Baleswar district by mentioning his sub-caste as Kandara in the land register, even the then Sub-Collector of the district had issued a caste certificate where the sub-caste was mentioned as Kandara, while the land records of his paternal house and lands show he belongs to Kuduma sub-caste, Swain alleged.

According to Swain, Kuduma sub-caste was included in the Scheduled Caste list only in 2007, but being a Kuduma he participated in the election by showing Kandara caste which is obviously an illegal thing. The party members demanded an investigation into the matter and appropriate action against the MLA.

It may be noted that on June 30, 2009, BJP’s Giridhari Das had filed a petition in the High Court alleging that MLA Jena had filed a false affidavit while filing his nomination. He had demanded that the nomination of the MLA was not valid. Even some organisations like the Rajya Adivasi Harijan Kalyan Samiti and SC/ST associate organiations had accused him of faking his caste.