Srikant Jena was in the Odisha Congress till recently. He was expelled from the party. Cut to this week, Jena has questioned Rahul Gandhi's silence over an alleged Rs 2 lakh crore mining scam in the mineral-rich State.

"I wrote to Congress President Rahul Gandhi raising questions on various issues including mining scam in Odisha. The kingpin of illegal mining is the Pradesh Congress Committee president. Is Congress really serious about fighting corruption? I have asked Rahul Gandhi about his stand on issues of illegal mining, social justice in the Odisha. Why doesn't he say anything? He should clarify as he is doing doublespeak," Jena has been quoted as saying by a news agency.

He also stated that Congress should declare that it will select the CM candidate in Odisha (which will have simultaneous Assembly polls during the country-wide Lok Sabha elections) from SC, ST or OBC communities.