Bhubaneswar: Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan on Tuesday challenged senior Congress leader Panchanan Kanungo to provide evidence supporting his allegation that the minister or his family owns land belonging to Lord Jagannath.
“If even one inch of Mahaprabhu’s land is in my name, I will retire from political life. If they cannot provide evidence, they should apologise,” Harichandan said.
Kanungo had recently alleged at a press conference that the Law Minister or his family should take an oath that no Jagannath land was in their name.
Reacting to the allegation, Harichandan said it was inappropriate for a senior leader like Kanungo to level charges without facts or evidence.
“I am a great devotee of Mahaprabhu Jagannath. Mahaprabhu has given me the opportunity to serve Him through this department. But a conspiracy is being hatched to defame me by making false allegations. This does not suit senior leaders like Panchanan at all,” the Law Minister said.
Harichandan maintained that allegations against individuals should be backed by concrete evidence.
