Bhubaneswar: The ruling Biju Janata Dal has asked its suspended MP Baijayant Panda to resign from the Lok Sabha on moral and ethical grounds.
Panda, who is the party MP from Kendrapara, was suspended for alleged anti-party activities January 24.
The party has also accused Panda of submitting a false affidavit before the Election Commission during the 2014 general elections, which the leader had denied.
“Panda concealed that he is working as an employee of IMFA and drawing crores of rupees as salary. What made him conceal this?” BJD vice-president and party MLA Bedprakash Agarwal asked at a press conference in Bhubaneswar.
He also concealed this in the affidavit dated March 21, 2014 filed as part of his nomination papers for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Agarwal added.
Panda had misled the party and the people of his constituency and has “lost moral authority to continue as Member of Parliament from Kendrapara,” he said.
Baijayant Panda, however, claimed that the party is well aware of his family background and association with the organisation.
“The allegations against me are totally false and baseless. I always consult top lawyers of the country while submitting affidavit before the EC,” Panda said.
Panda was elected to Lok Sabha in 2009 and 2014 and had been a Rajya Sabha member from 2000 to 2009.
PNN
