Alleging that Rs 45 lakh was transferred to the bank account of arrested Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda by the ruling BJD in 2014, former Union Minister Braja Kishore Tripathy today said he has already submitted documents relating to the claim to the Prime Minister's Office.
"I have submitted documents mentioning dates and amounts which were transferred to the bank account of the Maoist leader from the BJD bank account. A high level probe will prove my allegation," Tripathy told reporters on his return from Delhi.
Tripathy, who held a press conference at New Delhi yesterday where he made the allegation, today claimed he has given documentary evidence to the PMO.
Ex-BJD MP Tripathy, also a member of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's cabinet, has alleged that Rs 45 lakh was transferred to Panda's bank account during 2014 general elections.
He has claimed that on April 9, 2014, Rs 1.5 lakh was transferred from Panda's account to a BJD leader's account through cheque and alleged that the BJD had given money to get Maoist support during the elections.
Meanwhile, BJD spokesman Amar Prasad Satpathy refuted the allegations.
"BJD has never had any links with any Left Wing Extremists. We are advocating that rebels should join mainstream for which the state government is taking a number of measures in the Maoist-hit areas," Satpathy said.
Meanwhile, Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda, who was brought to court at Parlakhemundi, denied having any bank account at ICICI Bank, Chhatrapur.
Ganjam district police after preliminary investigation also claimed that the account number cited by Tripathy belongs to a person of the same name, who is a resident of Chhatrapur.
Though the account holder's name is same, their fathers' names differ. While the Maoist leader's father's name was Ramesh Chandra Panda, the bank account holder's father name is Chhitaranjan Panda. There is a balance of only Rs 1,174 in the account, the police said.
Higher Education minister Pradeep Panigrahi also reacted sharply to Tripathy allegation that Rs 1.5 lakh was transferred from Sabyasachi's account to his relative's account.
"If the allegation is proved, I am ready to resign from the council of ministers. If not, will he (Tripathy) go to jail?" Panigrahi asked.
