Nabin Swain, the poor person at whose home national president of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Amit Shah had taken lunch in 2017 and who was later provided one lakh rupees by the party to construct a proper house joined the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Thursday.
At a function organised at Hugulapata village under Kukudakhandi block of Ganjam district, a group of villagers led by the sarpanch Pradip Malana joined the BJD. Mr. Swain was among them.
According to BJP’s Ganjam district president , Kanhu Charan Pati, one lakh rupees in cash was provided to Mr Swain by Odisha BJP in May this year to help him reconstruct his dilapidated house. “Mr Swain is a non-political poor man and BJP had helped him without any political motive. But leaders of ruling BJD have included him in their party for cheap publicity”, alleged Mr Pati.
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During his visit to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s home district, Ganjam on July 4, 2017, Mr Shah had taken part in ‘mo booth sabuthu majboot (my booth is the strongest)’ programme of the party at Hugulapata village. He along with other BJP leaders had taken lunch at Mr Swain’s dilapidated house. Mr Shah had promised to help Mr Swain for construction of a proper house.
A few months after visit of Mr Shah, a group of BJP leaders including Mr Pati had reached Hugulapata and handed over cash worth one lakh rupees to Mr Swain.
Speaking to newsmen, Mr Swain accepted that he had received money from the BJP and that he had already spent to reconstruct his house. Meanwhile, Mr Swain had also got a new house sanctioned in his name under ‘Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana’ of Odisha government.
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Hugulapata sarpanch Mr Malana said they were earlier supporters of the BJP but impressed by the developmental projects being taken up in their area they preferred to join the ruling BJD.