**Bhubaneswar: ** Amid the hue and cry over allegations levelled against the ruling BJD by former Union minister Brajakishore Tripathy and reportedly dragging Higher Education Minister Pradeep Panigrahy’s relative’s name into it, Panigrahy on Wednesday refuted Tripathy’s allegations as ‘baseless’ and dared him ‘to prove it’ or ‘be ready to go to jail’.
Talking to media Panigrahy said that Tripathy has lost his mental balance for being not in power.
Meanwhile, Sabyasachi Panda talking to media at Berhampur said he has no account at Chhatrapur ICICI bank except one at Berhampur Circle Jail well-known to the jail authorities.
Even the Chhatrapur Town PS IIC’s investigation into the serious matter has reportedly revealed that the said bank account belongs to a local of same name not the jailed top Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda.
Braja Kishore Tripathy on Tuesday had alleged that the ruling Biju Janta Dal (BJD) has been supporting CPI (Maoists) financially.
Tripathy, in his allegation, said the BJD has transferred Rs 45 lakh into the account of arrested Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda.
The money was allegedly transferred from the BJD account in SBI Main Branch here to Panda’s ICICI bank account in Chhatrapur.
The financial transaction had occurred in the year 2014, Tripathy has claimed. He has also said having written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to launch a high level inquiry into the matter.
BJD has already refuted the allegation calling it ‘baseless’ on Tuesday itself.
However after alighting at Bhubaneswar station from New Delhi on Wednesday evening, Braja Kishore Tripathy said Odisha Police, behaving like the agent of State Government, is unable to probe ruling BJD’s Maoists link properly for which he has written to the Prime Minister seeking a probe by the central agency.
