Dubious funding allegations against BJD malicious, false: Odisha CM

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday said the allegations about his Biju Janata Dal (BJD) receiving funds from dubious sources during the 2014 general and assembly elections were “malicious, fabricated and false”.

“All the allegations are malicious, fabricated and false. If needed, we will take legal action,” Patnaik told reporters here on his return after a five-day visit to Delhi.

Patnaik said some parties might be trying to malign his party’s image in the process.

A petition has been filed in the Orissa High Court about the alleged dubious transactions in the BJD account during the 2014 general and assembly elections.

The court has directed the Election Commission to dispose the matter within a month.

State Bharatiya Janata Party Vice President Sameer Mohanty said the Chief Minister, who is also BJD President, is trying to divert attention by asserting that his party would take legal recourse on the matter.

Mohanty questioned whether the money deposited in the BJD bank account was alleged commission or funds given by chit fund companies that had duped lakhs of investors in the state.

He said the party would raise the matter before the Election Commission, the Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax Department to ensure a detailed investigation into the alleged irregularities. (IANS)