Bhubaneswar: Congress leveled a serious allegation against Odisha health Minister Mukesh Mahaling claiming that the BJP leader had obtained fake caste certificate for study and job prior to becoming an MLA and Minister. 

"The sub cast from which Mukesh Mahaling comes was included in Scheduled Caste (SC) in 2002 with a Presidential order. Before that, how Mahaling obtained the caste certificate that he submitted in school, college and during the government job," Odisha Congress Spokesperson Abhisek Mahanand questioned. 

A few days ago, Sambalpur RDC had summoned Mahaling in this regard, but the Minister did not appear before it to make his stand clear, he said. 

He said that the entire state and nation have watched the way Mukesh Mahaling, who is the Parliamentary Affairs Minister in Odisha, used unparliamentary language in front of Speaker, who is a woman, in the House. 

"If Mukesh Mahaling would have obtained caste certificate fraudulently, it was a criminal offence. This is a serious issue, if a minister might have studied, secured employment using fake certificate and later became an MLA and Minister. He deprived the Dalit community of getting government benefits. In place Mukesh Mahaling, a Dalit person could have been benefitted," he said.  

Notably, Mukesh Mahaling is a Cabinet Minister in Mohan Charan Majhi-led BJP Government in Odisha. He is serving as the Health & Family Welfare, Parliamentary Affairs and Electronics & IT Minister. He was working as an environmental scientist before being elected to Odisha State Legislative Assembly from Loisingha in Balangir district.