Parvez and his alleged links with VIPs particularly the chief minister came to limelight following a programme shown by a private TV channel where the former was said to have shared the dais with JB Patnaik at an election meeting in Balasore. The House witnessed a heated debate on the matter with several opposition members, Ranendra Pratap Swain and Kamala Das demanding that the Speaker should allow them to table photographs and video cassette of the meeting in the House. However, their demand was rejected by the Speaker.

The issue cropped up in the House during a discussion on the admissibility of adjournment motion notices raised by the opposition members. Opposition members described Azad as a security risk and demanded that heshould be arrested as early as possible.

There was division in the opposition ranks when some Janata Dal members and Arun Dey (Ind) alleged that the BJP has also acted as a patron of the drug lord.

Making a statement in response, the chief minister asserted that there was no question of shielding Azad who is an `international criminal'. Refuting opposition charges, the chief minister said that he does know any person in the name of Azad. `I cannot even recognise him', Patnaik said and added that he did not know everybody sitting on the dais at the meeting.

However, dissatisfied with the reply of the chief minister, the BJD and BJP members staged a walkout. Patnaik asserted that neither Sonia Gandhi nor her private secretary V George has any link with Parvez.

Parvez was arrested by the Narcotics Drug Bureau at Murshibad in West Bengal in 1989. He was also detained for two years after the police busted a heroine manufacturing factory from his house in Balasore. Later, he was released by the Calcuttahigh court on conditional bail.