War Of Words Between Odisha Minister & BJD Leader Over VK Pandian’s Chopper Tours

Bhubaneswar: A war of words erupted between Odisha’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Sunday over former 5T chairman V K Pandian’s whirlwind tours of the state using helicopters.

The fresh spat broke out after Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena stated that the ongoing probe into the money spent on Pandian’s chopper rides will be completed soon.

Asserting that the Mohan Majhi government is adopting a zero-tolerance approach towards corruption in any form, he said stern action may be taken if any violation of norms in the helicopter use is found during the probe.

Appropriate action will be taken after the investigation if any deviation from the laid down rules is detected in the use of helicopters, the Minister said.

Reacting sharply to the Minister’s statement, senior BJD leader and former Minister Pratap Keshari Deb claimed that the ruling BJP is doing unnecessary politics over the issue.

Coming down heavily on the Minister, Deb said Jena has stated at least four times in the last 15 days that the expenditure incurred in Pandian’s chopper visits will be investigated.

Stating that the issue was raised in the Assembly when BJP was in opposition, the BJD leader said that the then chief minister Naveen Patnaik had also given an answer in the House.

Naveen had made it clear that Pandian visited different districts following his instruction, he said.
Since BJP is in government now, it is free to get the matter probed instead of speaking about the issue repeatedly. It seems the Minister is making such statements only to remain in news, Deb claimed.