Row over health min’s donation to Maha temple

Bhubaneswar: Health minister Naba Kishore Das, who is the state’s richest MLA with declared assets of Rs 34 crore, has drawn criticism from the opposition for donating a “substantial” amount of gold and silver to a temple in Maharashtra on Saturday.
While various reports said he donated an urn made of 1.7 kg gold, besides silver, together worth around Rs 1 crore, Das told TOI on Monday that the entire donation to the Shani Temple at Shinganapur under Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra would be around Rs 10 lakh.
“It was the auspicious occasion of Triveni Amavasya on Saturday. From common man to big leaders, thousands gather there to pray to the lord. I also visited the holy shrine with my family,” Das said.
A video of the minister with his family members offering prayers has gone viral on social media. He said the entire golden urn was not donated by him and that he had contributed only a part of it.