Bhubaneswar, Aug. 4: The BJD today asked its Kendrapara MP Baijayant 'Jay' Panda to come clean on charges levelled against him by former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi that he had business nexus with former finance minister P. Chidambaram.
The BJD also took exception to Panda's allegation that "the third floor (the chief minister's office in the secretariat)" is behind Jogi's charges.
In New Delhi, Jogi had on Wednesday demanded that former finance minister P. Chidambaram's son Karti should be examined for his alleged role in securing the Foreign Investment Promotion Board's nod for Ortel Communication, run by Panda's family members.
Jogi alleged that Ortel got the approval at the same time when another media company for which Karti was being investigated also got the nod.
"Panda enjoys a good relationship with Chidambaram. Former finance minister Chidambaram's wife Nalini was a shareholder in Panda's company IMFA. The IMFA had also got a loan waiver to the tune of Rs 2,300 crore from the BJP government between 1998 and 2003," Jogi had said.
While rebutting the charges, a press statement released by Panda's office states: "These allegations by Shri Jogi are ridiculous. P. Chidambaram had appeared in court as legal counsel for companies connected to Mr Panda's family. Neither Mr Panda nor any family members have any dealings with Karti Chidambaram. Just how ludicrous this is can be seen from the allegation that Smt Nalini Chidambaram owns shares in one of these companies. It happens to be a public company in which anyone can buy shares and upon checking we have found out that only 10 shares are owned in this name. It is sad to see Jogi, who was once a relevant politician, reduced to such a pitiable condition of acting as hired gun on behalf of vested interests, making silly allegations..."
The press note further states: "There are strong rumours that this has been orchestrated by an Odisha cadre bureaucrat who has been dabbling in politics and misleading the chief minister about the matter."
Asking for a probe into the case, Jogi had said: "I demand from the Prime Minister that the scope of inquiry in the Karti-INX media investigation be broadened, that BJD MP Baijayant Panda and the dealings of his more than 100 companies be investigated."
Jogi said his "research team" worked for months to establish a link between Panda's company and Kirti's role. He is prepared to hand over all papers to any investigative agency and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention. Panda has lately been speaking out against a non-Odia bureaucrat in the chief minister's office who, he alleged, was involved in politics and corruption.
Speaking to a news channel here yesterday, an employee of Panda said: "Jogi had made the allegations at the behest of some non-Odia IAS officers in the third floor."
Sources said the chief minister's office took strong exception to these allegations with Naveen asking his finance minister Sashi Bhushan Behera to explain the party's stand.
Behera today said: "It's not proper on the part of Panda to drag the chief minister's office into the controversy. Panda should issue a clarification on the charges levelled against him. If there is any specific evidence, he should bring it forward."
BJD spokesperson Samir Ranjan Dash said: "Panda is trying to malign the image of the chief minister's office. Instead of accusing others, he should explain whether he did anything illegal."
Additional reporting by Bhopal Bureau
