The Biju Janata Dal, which suspended lawmaker Baijayant “Jay” Panda from the party on Wednesday, has now asked him to resign from the Lok Sabha. The party, on Friday, accused Panda of submitting a false affidavit before the Election Commission ahead of the 2014 elections, PTI reported.
Panda has denied the allegations, calling them “bizarre”.
The party said he did not disclose in his affidavit that he was the vice chairman of a mining firm. He “misled” the party and his constituency, and “lost moral authority to continue as MP from Kendrapara”, said Biju Janata Dal Vice President Bedprakash Agarwal.
In response, Panda said the party was aware of his association with the company. “The allegations against me are totally false and baseless,” he was quoted as saying. “It’s absolutely untrue and a mean-minded attempt to malign me as well as distract attention from serious law and order issues in Odisha.”
On Twitter, he said the “office of profit” rule applies to government positions, not the private sector.
Panda was suspended from the party on Wednesday on disciplinary grounds. He is a four-time MP, and served two terms in the Rajya Sabha before being elected to the Lok Sabha twice.
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