TNI Bureau: A few days after Maoist negotiator Dandapani Mohanty brought similar allegations against the government in Odisha, the Congress Party has claimed that Naveen Patnaik’s government spent Rs 6 crore on the release of former Malkangiri Collector Vineel Krishna and Laxmimur MLA Jhina Hikaka.
According to the Congress, the deal to secure the release of Vineel Krishna was Rs 4 crore, while the BJD government had to spend Rs 2 crore to see Jhina Hikaka free. The party has decided to move the National Investigation Agency (NIA), demanding probe against these deals with Maoists.
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Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh and Congress Chief Whip in Assembly Prasad Harichandan held a press conference in Bhubaneswar on Sunday to drop this bomb shell and demanded a detailed probe into the links between many BJD leaders and the Maoists.
Earlier, Dandapani Mohanty, who played a key role in securing the release of R Vineel Krishna and Jhina Hikaka, had claimed that Rs 4 crore was paid for the former Malkangiri District Collector. He also revealed that another Rs 2 crore was paid to the Maoists to secure the release of Jhina.