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Bhubaneswar: Targeting the Odisha government over the official trip of State Tourism and Culture Minister Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi to Hyderabad where two women had allegedly accompanied him at the cost of government expenses, the Opposition parties have put pressure on CM Naveen to sack Panigrahi from his ministerial post.
Demanding immediate ouster of Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi, BJP MLA Bishnu Sethi said, "Despite evidence, the government gave a clean chit to Jyoti Panigrahi and we weren't even allowed to challenge it in Assembly. "
Terming Panigrahi’s alleged activities as 'unacceptable', Congress MLA Santosh Singh Saluja said, “Self-styled Godman Sarathi alias Santosh Raul had gone to Hyderabad with a medical student and was sent to jail. Therefore Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik should immediately dismiss the concerned minister."
On the other hand, Congress Spokesperson Satya Prakash Nayak demanded clarification on who actually funded Minister's official trip, "The Minister simply answered that only his expense was borne by Odisha government. We have his itinerary which confirms payment of Rs 49,989 towards the ticket. Will Minister Jyoti Panigrahi confirm what amount was split between him and the two women who had accompanied him?"
However, coming in support of Jyoti Panigrahi, government chief whip Pramila Mallick has refuted all the allegations terming them as baseless. "Are ministers not allowed to take their relatives to trips? What does the BJP think? Should we take permission from them for such purposes? I want to clarify that the two women who had accompanied the minister funded their own expenses. The Opposition need not politicise this and make it an issue unnecessarily," she said.
Reportedly, Panigrahi had gone to take part in a roadshow organized by Odisha Tourism in Hyderabad on October 4. It is also being alleged that the Minister had written to the OTDC director to book two extra tickets for his personal guests and facilitate their accommodation in a five-star hotel in Hyderabad.