Journalists in Odisha caused uproar on Friday when an alleged bribe was found in their media kits during the visit of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to Angul district to inaugurate NHAI projects.
A report in the Odisha Sun Times says that a Rs 500 note was found in the media kits of journalists who had come to report the event. Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Jual Oram and Nitin Gadkari were there to lay the foundation stone of three National Highway projects in Angul.
Journalists reportedly waved their notes at others to register a protest against the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). The bribe is being viewed as an attempt to ensure positive coverage for the project. The media kits were said to have been provided before Gadkari arrived at the venue.
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Reporting on the same incident, Ommcom News quoted officials and organisers saying they were unaware of the money distributed. “We had been entrusted only to provide booklet in the holder leaf. Hence, we distributed only booklet of the occasion. I'm absolutely ignorant of such a development,” an NHAI official told the news portal.
The Biju Janata Dal have questioned the incident, BJD Vice-President Surya Narayan Patro quoted saying: “It’s being said that NHAI has given it. NHAI is whose? It’s an organisation of the Central Government. Somebody would have asked them to distribute. Does media management mean giving money like this?”
The BJP has condemned the incident and asked for an enquiry into the matter. Party spokesperson Lekhasree Samantsinghar reportedly said: “If it’s a fact, it’s definitely condemnable. NHAI can solely be answerable. Who is behind the scene? Who has instructed to do so? It’s not the culture and tradition of BJP”.
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And this is not the first time that an incident like this has happened in Odisha. In 2014, journalists had walked out of an event by BJD Pinaki Mishra when they found Rs 200 notes in their media kits.
