Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has questioned whether hefty funds doled out to certain states by Pranab Mukherjee, the UPA Presidential candidate, was to influence the Samajwadi Party, JD(U) and the Trinamool Congress.

"Pranab Mukherjee as the finance minister had doled out huge sum of money amounting to lakhs of crores to Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh," Patnaik said after returning here from Delhi last night.

"Could it be that this money is going because he wanted certain parties like Samajwadi Party of Mulayam Singh, Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (U) and Trinamool Congress of Mamata Banerjee to support his candidature as the Rastrapati of India?" Patnaik, the BJD president, questioned.

Stating this was people's money, Patnaik said, "This is your money. I am glad that people of those states will benefit, (but why is) so much money being given by the central government when the Rastrapati elections are going on?"

The chief minister, who had accompanied opposition presidential candidate P A Sangma for filing of nomination in Delhi said, the people had the right to know why hefty financial packages were provided to these states.

While Bihar was to get Rs 20,000 crore during the 12th plan period from 2012 to 2017, UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has gone public saying that his government was expecting a Rs 90,000 crore package.

Patnaik described Sangma as a prominent tribal leader who hailed from a minority community and belonged to the North East.

With BJP and SAD also backing Sangma, first named by BJD and supported by AIADMK, the chief minister made it clear that his party would have no alliance either with the BJP or the Congress in the 2014 elections.

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