BHUBANESWAR: Describing the allegations brought by the BJP on the poll expenditure of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik as false, fabricated and malicious, the BJD on Friday demanded that the saffron outfit should apologise for launching a campaign to tarnish the image of its supremo.
Refuting the BJP’s allegations, BJD MPs Pinaki Mishra and Pratap Deb told mediapersons here that the Chief Minister returned back Rs 6,48,320 to the party which has been deliberately twisted to show it was received instead of returned.
In a bid to clear the air, the two MPs said the total expenditure of the Chief Minister in the 2014 Assembly election from Hinjili constituency was Rs 17,27,848. They said the BJD president had received Rs 10 lakh from the party and returned back Rs 6,48,320. His expenditure of funds received from the party was Rs 3,51,680.
Mishra and Deb maintained that the BJD had utilised Rs 9,58,945 directly for the Chief Minister as a candidate in the election. Besides, the amount of own funds used by the candidate was Rs 4,17,223.
The MPs said all the information is available on the website of Election Commission of India (ECI) and there is nothing to hide. “The expenditure statement made by party and candidate are all matching and there is no discrepancy,” they stated.
Describing the BJP campaign against the BJD and the Chief Minister as politically motivated with malafide intention, Deb said the saffron party has levelled charges without verifying their authenticity. “This is an ill prepared attempt by the BJP to tarnish the image of BJD and its chief,” he said.