Panigrahy ready to quit if BJD links with reds proved

Post News Network

Bhubaneswar, June 8: Allegations of a BJD-Maoist nexus made by for­mer Union minister Braja Kishore Tripathy have angered higher education minister Pradeep Panigrahy to the extent that the latter said he will quit his ministerial post if he substantiates his charges.
Tripathy is reported to have alle­ged that Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda was on the payroll of the ruling party. The higher education minister challenged Tripathy to prove his charges and asked if he was prepared to go to jail in case he failed to do so.
“If his (Tripathy’s) allegation are substantiated, I will resign from my post today,” Panigrahy told journalists at the secretariat here. “Will Braja Tripathy go to jail if his allegations are proved to be false?” asked the minister.
Being out of power for a long time has turned Tripathy senile, Panigrahy said. “Such allegations are nothing but sheer madness on the part of Tripathy,” he said.
Panigrahy also rebuffed Tripathy’s allegations that `1.5 lakh was transferred from Sabyasachi Panda’s bank account to the account of one of his relatives.
Tripathy had told newsmen in New Delhi Tuesday that `45 lakh was transferred from BJD’s bank account to Sabyasachi Panda’s account April 10, 2014.
“An amount of `45 lakh was transferred from BJD’s account (No. 10091755246) in Bhubaneswar main branch of SBI to Sabyasachi Panda’s Chhatrapur ICICI Bank account (No. 203601501728),” Tripathy alleged. “Also, `1 lakh was transferred to Panda’s account April 9, 2014, through cheque,” he said. “It is evident from these transactions that BJD is patronising Maoists,” said Tripathy.
Panda, who was produced in court at Parlakhemundi Wednesday, reportedly denied having any acco­unt with ICICI Bank. He also deni­ed that such transactions were made.
“I have only one account in the care of Berhampur Jail superinten­dent,” he reportedly said. “I haven’t received any money from a BJD account,” he said.
Meanwhile, sources revealed that a person with the surname Panda, a resident of Berhampur, has an ICICI account. The account holder is the son of one Chittaranjan Panda and denied having made any transaction in his account. The account has a balance of only `1,174.
However, Tripathy stuck to his stand and said those who are involved in such financial deals will always deny it.
“A fair investigation will expose the truth,” he said.