No personal feud with Sabyasachi: Tripathy

Bhubaneswar: Hours after Maoist leader Sabyascahi Panda threatened to file a defamation suit against him, a chastened former Union minister Braja Kishore Tripathy said on Friday that he had no personal feud against Maoist leader.

Earlier in the day, Panda's lawyer Deepak Patnaik had said his client would consider filing a defamation case against Tripathy if the latter did not apologise for his allegation that Panda had received Rs 45 lakh from the BJD in 2014.

“If Tripathy does not apologise unconditionally, then he (Sabyasachi) will file a defamation case against him,” the lawyer said quoting Panda.“Sabyasachi wants a CBI probe into the whole matter,” he added.

A softened Tripathy today said he is associated with Panda’s family since long and the recent matter should not hurt the rebel leader.

“I have only urged the PMO to investigate that from BJD’s bank account a sum of Rs 45 lakh has been transferred to one Sabyasachi Panda. I have not pointed to anybody at a personal level. If a probe is ordered, the names of everyone involved in the transaction will come to the fore. But I have not targeted him (Sabyasachi). If he is hurt in the matter, then I am sorry about this. I have no intention to hurt anybody,” the former parliamentarian said.

He added; “I have a family relationship with Panda's family and knew his father very well. I have gone to his house many times. Though I have no direct link with Panda, I personally like him. As a friend of their family, I am sorry for this.”