The version in the audio CD recently telecast in a TV channel was none other than that of Banki BJD MlA Pravat Tripathy in which he was talking with tainted chit fund company Artha Tatwa Group CMD Pradip Sethi seeking financial assistance for the coming Banki Mahotsav, reiterated former Banki MlA and State Congress general secretary Debasish Patnaik on Saturday.
Patnaik was addressing a congregation of over 5,000 people at Banki Medical square. The meeting was presided over by Banki Nagar Congress president Suresh Chandra Mishra and addressed by Banki Block Congress president Kailash Chandra Sahoo, Damapada Block Congress president Bhabani Prasad Dhal, Banki Assembly Youth Congress president Biswaranjan Panda and former Chairman of Banki block Netrananda Choudhury, among other local party leaders. They said late Dr Jogesh Rout had brought glory to the region while the present MlA has sold it.
Debasish Patnaik alleged that the defamation case filed by Tripathy against him is only a drama to deceive the public of Banki. He is ready to face any kind of trial and truth would ultimately prevail and people of Banki would throw Tripathy out, he asserted.
Earlier, a candlelight procession was taken out from the Charchika Temple to the meeting ground to decry Tripathy’s alleged act of defaming the region. However, the mudslinging between Patnaik and Tripathy has come as a shock to the people of Banki who are generally of the view that no leader should play with the dignity of Banki for their personal interests.