BJD leader Elina Das moved the Orissa High Court on Thursday, denying any connection to the contentious “Balle Balle Dhaba and Family Restaurant” that is housed on the grounds of Dharmasala Bhawan. She was requesting a stop to stories about the restaurant that are being published in some media sections and on social media.
Some residents in the area have claimed that Elina’s husband was running the dhaba where MPLAD and MLALAD cash were purportedly spent. They further claimed that during the 2024 General Elections, millions of rupees were disbursed there.
Elina has, however, denied the accusations made against her and the family members. Elina claims that she and her family members are not associated in any way with the dhaba.
“Elina is unrelated to the Dhaba. She’s never visited the dhaba before. She is not connected to the dhaba by any evidence. Since Elina is a BJD leader, multiple false rumours about her personality have been disseminated via social media and certain media outlets. We have filed the High Court in order to put a stop to these stories and carry out a thorough investigation into the situation,” Byomakesh Tripathy, Elina’s attorney, stated.
Reports state that the district government has sealed the dhaba.
It was previously claimed that the female BJD leader received the dhaba on a lease without any paperwork. Pranab Balabantaray, a former BJD MLA from Dharmasala, was allegedly running the show behind the scenes.
During the block examination, MLA Himanshu Sahu found the discrepancies. The dhaba was then given notice to leave the premises.
