Orissa BJP leader Pradeep Kumar Majhi. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 14: Former Orissa youth Congress president and Nabarangpur MP Pradeep Kumar Majhi today volunteered to be a witness in the alleged horse-trading case that had taken place in Orissa during the 2010 Rajya Sabha elections.

Three Opposition MLAs had allegedly connived with the ruling party to ensure victory of three BJD candidates in the elections.

After much dilly-dallying, the Orissa government had yesterday lodged an FIR with city police only after the Election Commission of India forwarded petitions and audio CDs submitted to them by various people, including senior BJP leader and former MP Braja Kishore Tripathy.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today made it clear that if any person was found guilty, he would initiate action against them. “We have referred the matter to the investigation... Let’s wait for the findings,” he said in response to questions as to whether or not he would initiate action against two of his ministerial colleagues against whom the allegations have been made.

Two Orissa ministers — labour and employment minister Pushpendra Singh Deo and energy minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak — were accused of being involved in the alleged horse-trading case. They had, however, denied the allegations. The audio CD had allegedly carried a conversation between Singh Deo and a middleman in this regard.

Responding to the development, Majhi said: “I want to be a party to the issue. If police seek my help in unravelling the mystery behind the horse-trading case, I will extend my full cooperation.”

Majhi reiterated his claim that he had the knowledge of efforts of the ruling party to buy the support of MLAs much before the audio-tapes surfaced.

“Six people from Kalahandi had contacted me and told me about the entire episode. They had recorded the conversation of labour minister Puspendra Singh Deo, who was trying to lure Congress MLA Sibaji Majhi. Singh Deo had acted at the behest of energy minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak.

Majhi said: “The six persons who had facilitated the meeting between Majhi and a minister wanted to expose the scam as they did not get their share of the booty.”

Majhi said he knew all the six persons. “They also wanted to sell me the audio-tape for Rs 1 crore. I had expressed my inability to buy the audio-tape by paying such a huge amount,” he said.

Majhi admitted that he had tried to strike a deal with them. “As they insisted that I must pay at least Rs 14 lakh, the deal could not be formalised. However, I had advised them to give the audio-tape to a media house. I am willing to be a witness to the case and tell everything to the police,” he added.