Bhubaneswar: A day after former Union Minister Braja Kishore Tripathy levelled the allegation that BJD had transferred Rs 45 lakh to the bank account of Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda, Gopalpur legislator and Higher Education Minister Pradip Panigrahi dared Tripathy to present any proof he may have to prove his contention or be ready to go to jail.
Talking to media persons, Panigrahi said, “There are many people with the name Sabyasachi Panda in Odisha. If Braja Babu has any proof in this regard and presents them in public, I will resign today itself. At the same time, if he can't prove the allegation, will he be ready to go to jail?”
On his return from Delhi, Tripathy today said, “The details including the date-wise bank transactions of BJD have been given to the Prime Minister. Among these transactions was the Rs 45 lakh Sabyasachi had received from the BJD’s bank account.”
He further stated, “Those who have done wrong will never accept it. The truth will come out after a thorough probe.”
Earlier in the day, the IIC of Chhatrapur, under whose jurisdiction the ICICI bank branch mentioned by Tripathy falls, said, “The account holder’s name provided by Tripathy is in the same name, but his father’s name is Chhitaranjan Panda. He is a resident of Chhatrapur. There is a balance of just Rs 1174 in the account.”
Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda also denied having received the amount as alleged by the former Union minister.
“I have never had any bank account. The only account through which my financial transaction are done is the one which is in the address of Superintendent, Berhampur circle jail,” said Panda, who had come to Berhampur to depose before a court in connection with a case.