BJD demands Panda to resign as MP

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Saturday demanded the resignation of Lok Sabha MP Baijayant Panda.

The party sought his resignation from the Lok Sabha on the ground that Panda allegedly had not disclosed that he was drawing a salary as the vice-chairman of a mining company -- Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys Limited (IMFA).

Talking to ANI, BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra said, "As the Vice Chairman of IMFA, he has been drawing a salary but it did not reflect in his election affidavit. It is a question of moral integrity and the BJD workers from Kendrapara demanded that he should resign from the post of an MP."

On January 24, BJD President and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had suspended Panda from the primary membership of the party with immediate effect for 'anti-party activities '.

Patnaik said that Panda's conduct during the Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRI) elections was totally against the interests of the BJD and its functionaries who have been responsible for sending him to the Parliament four times.

It is to be noted that Panda did not campaign for the party candidates even in his own constituency during the PRI elections,

However, Panda denied the allegations and called them "entirely false and baseless".

In May 2017, he was sacked from the post of BJD spokesperson after he criticised the party and had a Twitter spat with party colleague Tathagat Satpathy.

--ANI