Tourism and Culture Minister Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi has landed in controversy for his official trip to Hyderabad where two women had allegedly accompanied him at the cost of public money.
State Congress Media Cell chairman Satya Prakash Nayak in a Press conference here on Wednesday said, “Minister Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi had gone to take part in a road show organised by Odisha Tourism in Hyderabad. He had taken two of his female friends with him. He had written to the Director of Odisha Tourism and Development Corporation (OTDC) to book their tickets and accommodation with him.”
While the Minister and his women friends had put up at the Hotel Taj Krishna, Nayak claimed that the Minister is not entitled to stay in a five-star accommodation as per the TA Rules of the Government.
“Why should the Government bear the expenses of the Minister’s friends when he was on an official visit? The Chief Minister should investigate into the matter and take action against the Minister to prove that the Mo Sarkar and 5T initiatives are being properly implemented,” Nayak demanded.
Minister Panigrahi, however, declined to comment on the issue, only saying, “The allegations are baseless and fake.”