Bhubaneswar: The chairman of the Odisha Assembly standing committee on Odia language, culture and literature, Prafulla Samal, on Sunday said it was Rajiv Gandhi who had first launched a crusade against corruption.

Paying tribute to the former Prime Minister’s statue located inside the premises of Rajiv Bhavan on his 79th birth anniversary, Samal — the MLA from Bhadaripokhari in Bhadrak district and a former minister — said: “It was
Rajivji who had openly said only 15 paise out of Re 1 grant released by the government reached the people. No other Prime Minister had the guts to openly admit it. It was Rajiv who had launched the fight against corruption and all should
not forget that. Now Odisha
is pursuing a policy of zero
tolerance against corruption.”

Rajiv Gandhi made this statement while on a visit to the drought-affected Kalahandi district of Odisha in 1985. He had said that of every rupee spent by the government, only 15 paise reached the intended beneficiary.

This remark has found mention in the judgment of the Supreme Court in 2017.

A bench comprising justices A.K. Sikri and Ashok Bhushan in its Aadhaar card order said: “A former Prime Minister of this country has gone on record to say that out of one rupee spent by the government for welfare of the downtrodden, only 15 paise thereof actually reaches those persons for whom it is meant. It cannot be doubted that with UID/Aadhaar much of the malaise in this field can be taken care of.”

Samal also recalled Rajiv’s contribution to the three-tier panchayati raj system and his efforts on bringing democracy to the people of the state should not be forgotten.

“It was Mahatma Gandhi, late Rajiv Gandhi and late Biju Patnaik who had fought for the panchayati raj system.”

Others recalled how Rajiv had introduced mobile phones that now turned out to be a revolution. “All credit should be given to Rajiv Gandhi for his visionary policy and bringing a communication revolution in India,” said Biju Janata Dal (BJD)’s state co-ordinator on cultural fronts, Prabir Mohanty.

The Congress leaders also paid their tributes to Rajiv Gandhi and recalled how Rajiv Gandhi had visited Odisha before his assassination and Gandhi’s family’s close connection with Odisha.