Bhubaneswar: Following indirect allegations by Tirtol MLA Rajashree Mallick of involvement in abduction of a panchayat samiti member and husband of another member of Raghunathpur block in Jagatsinghpur district against him, former BJD Rajya Sabha member and newly appointed deputy chairman of state planning board, Bishnu Das rubbished charges and dared Mallick to prove her allegations.
“If she has courage then she should prove her allegations. I will quit from my new post (Deputy Chairman of Odisha Planning Board) if found involved in abduction,” Das said, questioning if Mallick is unable to prove it then will she quit from her post.
“I do not know who the Samiti member is. I had a programme on resignation from my Rajya Sabha MP post in New Delhi and I have returned after finishing off my work today only. I am just surprised that she (Mallick) blamed me for the incident whether directly or indirectly,” Bishnu said.
Earlier Rajashree had said Das was involved in abducting Adheikula Samiti member Manoj Kumar Sethi and Dharadharpur Samiti member’s husband Binod Mallick from a hotel in Puri yesterday.
“Tomorrow we are having our vice chairman election in Raghunathpur block. Two out of 12 members of the panchyat samiti who were lodged at a Puri hotel came out for having tea at around 4 pm yesterday. But they are missing and nowhere to be found. We have filed an FIR at local police station. Those who had tried to grab the chairman post but could not despite using power; money and influence are trying their best to capture the vice-chairman post,”
When asked about the persons involved in abduction, Mallick said the abductors were definitely supporters of Das.