Horse trading row: Cong MP to become witness

Congress MP Nabarangpur Pradeep Kumar Majhi on Saturday offered to be a witness in unravelling the alleged horse-trading during last year`s Orissa Rajya Sabha elections.

Nabarangpur: Congress MP Nabarangpur Pradeep Kumar Majhi on Saturday offered to be a witness in unravelling the alleged horse-trading during last year`s Orissa Rajya Sabha elections.

As the state government has asked the home department to investigate the matter, the Congress MP said that he could throw light on the alleged deal.

"I will certainly cooperate if the home department wants to unearth truth," he told a news agency.

"I know details as people engaged in mediating with MLA Shibaji Majhi had come to me with the audio tape. They demanded an abnormally high price for it which I could not afford," the Congress MP said.

"As they demanded Rs 1 crore for the audio tape, the deal must have been more than that. I suspect about Rs 5 crore could have been spent in the deal," he said.

He said that five young men in their 30s from Kalahandi acted as middlemen between the MLA and a minister.

In a new twist to the alleged to become a witness in the case.

Majhi said after knowing about horse-trading, he had brought the matter to the notice of a PCC member.

Meanwhile, labour minister Pushpendra Singhdeo had disowned his voice in the audio tape and dubbed allegations against him as a "false and baseless". "It is a conspiracy to defame me and my party," Singhdeo said.

Energy minister Atanu S Nayak, another minister whose name was also taken in the audio tape, had also denied his involvement in the alleged deal during the RS polls.

The Nabarangpur MP said that his party would launch a state-wide stir against the BJD government over horse-trading and large scale mining scam.

PTI

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