New Delhi: Pratap Sarangi’s austere lifestyle has made him an instant star. The lawmaker from Odisha’s Balasore was sworn in to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new council of ministers on Thursday and since then people have been admiring Sarangi’s simplicity. The reports on his thatched house, him still riding a cycle have hit headlines. However, ‘Odisha’s Modi’s, as he is often called, is now being criticised for his controversial past.
It is said that there are seven criminal cases against the 64-year-old law maker. He is specifically under scanner because he was the Bajrang Dal president when a mob brutally killed Australian Christian missionary Graham Staines and his two children in 1999.
Speaking to NDTV, Sarangi said, “All these (cases) are based on false allegations. The police have done this deliberately because I went against their corruption and taking bribes. I fought against it seriously. I fought against injustice for social causes and that is why I was the enemy of many corrupt officials and that is why all antisocial elements united to file cases against me. Many charges were proved false in court and rest will be dismissed too.”
He also firmly denied any link to the Graham Staines case.
