Bhubaneswar, March 15 – The opposition Congress party accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling party-backed Independent candidate, Dilip Ray, of attempting to bribe Congress MLAs staying at a resort in Bengaluru by offering financial incentives ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections.
The party alleged that on Saturday afternoon, four individuals from Rourkela in Odisha checked into a hotel in Bengaluru and attempted to contact the Odisha Congress MLAs and leaders who were staying there on Sunday morning.
Speaking to reporters, senior Congress leader and MP, Saptagiri Ulaka, said the suspected individuals were handed over to the police.
He alleged that they had come with blank cheques and an offer of Rs 5 crore per MLA. He further claimed that during police interrogation, the name of Independent candidate Dilip Ray had surfaced.
“We suspect that not only Dilip Ray, but also Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, is involved in this horse-trading. We have filed a First Information Report (FIR) stating that they are trying to buy our MLAs by offering financial incentives and demanding a proper investigation. They have also threatened our MLAs, saying they would not be allowed to return to Odisha, and also tried to kidnap them. This is very unfortunate. There is no place for horse-trading in politics. If anything happens to our MLAs, CM Majhi will be held responsible,” Ulaka alleged.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and AICC Odisha in-charge, Ajay Lallu, criticised the BJP for backing Dilip Ray as an Independent candidate in the Rajya Sabha election from Odisha on Sunday.
Addressing a press conference in Bhubaneswar, Lallu alleged that the BJP had fielded a fourth candidate despite having only 22 MLAs in the Assembly, which he said indicated an attempt to win the seat through horse-trading.
He also questioned the candidature of Dilip Ray, stating that the former Union Minister had earlier been convicted in a coal block allocation case.
According to Lallu, a special CBI court had sentenced Ray to three years in prison in October 2020 following a probe conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Lallu said that under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, a person sentenced to more than two years in jail faces disqualification from contesting elections. He questioned how such a candidate was allowed to enter the electoral fray and sought clarification on the legal circumstances under which relief was granted by the High Court during the appeal.
The Congress leader also claimed that two individuals were detained by the police after allegedly trying to contact party legislators at the hotel in Bengaluru where they were staying.
According to Lallu, the detained individuals reportedly admitted that they had come to negotiate with MLAs on behalf of Dilip Ray. He said the matter is under investigation and that the Congress would present more evidence in the coming days.