Bhubaneswar, June 11: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today said he would look into the allegation of horse-trading against two of his ministers during the last Rajya Sabha elections.

“The whole matter will be looked into,” said Naveen responding to the reporters’ queries about an audio tape which purportedly has the voice of labour minister Pushpendra Singhdeo trying to negotiate with a middleman to buy over Congress MLA Shibaji Majhi.

The names of energy minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak and Rajya Sabha member Pyari Mohan Mohapatra are also mentioned in the tape, which is being played repeatedly by a private TV channel since yesterday.

In the Rajya Sabha elections held on June 17, 2010, all the three candidates of the ruling Biju Janata Dal — Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, Sashi Bhushan Behera and Baishnab Parida — romped home as three Opposition MLAs — Shibaji Majhi, Gregory Minz (Congress) and Bhimsen Choudhary (then in BJP) — abstained from voting.

The BJD had pulled off a virtual coup despite being short of eight votes for an outright victory.

The Congress and BJP had backed independent candidate and well-known entrepreneur Tara Ranjan Patnaik, who lost.

Ever since, the Opposition has been alleging of horse trading by the BJD.

However, labour minister Pushpendra Singh Deo denied the charge alleging a political conspiracy to defame him. “For the last two days, an attempt has been made to malign me. I want to make it clear that I am in no way connected with the audio tape. The voice in the cassette is not mine. In today’s world, anything can be twisted with the help of technology,” he added.

Accusing the Congress of trying to defame him, Singh Deo said: “My political opponents are jealous of my rising popularity in Kalahandi district. I want to ask why the cassette has surfaced almost one year after the Rajya Sabha election.”

Stating that he was ready for any inquiry, Singh Deo said: “I am in the ministry at the pleasure of the chief minister. If he asks me to quit, I will also resign.” Congress MLA Sibaji Majhi, who is in the midst of controversy ever since the cassette surfaced, today said he had nothing to do with it.