Naveen calls dubious poll funding allegations malicious, hints at legal action

Bhubaneswar: Chief minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Sunday said the allegations about his party receiving funds from dubious sources during 2014 general and assembly elections were “malicious, fabricated and false”.
While answering queries from mediapersons on a recent report by an English TV channel, on his return to the state capital after five-day trip to Delhi, Naveen said the party may contemplate legal action if need be. The channel had also been accused the regional party of suppressing information on election funding from Election Commission of India (ECI).
The chief minister said the report could be an attempt by some people with vested interest to malign his party’s image.
Naveen also expressed his happiness over BJD’s victory in Nuapada Zilla Parisad election.
Meanwhile, a petition has been filed in the Orissa High Court about the alleged dubious transactions in the BJD account during the 2014 elections.The court has directed the ECI to dispose the matter within a month.
State BJD vice-president Sameer Mohanty said the BJD president was trying to divert attention by asserting that his party would take legal recourse on the matter.
He questioned whether money deposited in the BJD bank account was commission or funds given by chit fund companies, which duped lakhs of investors in the state.
Mohanty said the saffron party would raise the matter before the ECI, the Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax Department to ensure a detailed investigation into the alleged irregularities.