Bhubaneswar: Two days after his suspension from the primary membership of the party, the BJD leaders of Kendrapara district on Friday urged the sitting Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda to immediately resign from his post owning moral responsibility.
In a press briefing at the BJD headquarters office here in the afternoon, BJD vice president Bed Prakash Agrawal said Panda has submitted false affidavit while filing his nominations on March 21, 2014.
He said Panda has received salary from the Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys (IMFA) Ltd as its vice chairman and employee under Section17(1) of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
In the last few years, Panda has received salary to the tune of Rs 2.79 crore, Rs 1.45 crore, Rs 1.61 crore and Rs 7. 66 crore from IMFA as its vice chairman.
“In spite of being a regular employee of IMFA, Panda has concealed this fact in his affidavit filed on March 21, 2014 while filing his nominations as the BJD candidate from Kendrapara Lok Sabha constituency. Moreover, he has neither informed about his appointment in IMFA to his party leaders nor the people of Kendrapara constituency,” Agarwal pointed out.
Maintaining that Panda has betrayed the party and the people of his constituency by concealing the fact, Agarwal said the MP should resign from his post with immediate effect owning moral responsibility.
Among others, senior BJD leaders Pratap Jena, Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak and Kishore Tarai were present at the press briefing.
Talking to media persons during his tour to Kendrapara on Friday, Panda said the allegations against him by some of his party colleagues are baseless.
Refuting the allegations, Panda said if a political leader is appointed in any private company, the office of profit provision is not applicable to him/her. The provision is applicable if he/she holds any position in any government undertaking,” he maintained.
“Was the BJD unaware of my involvement in a company and with the family I am associated? These are mean allegations. Those who are condemning my company very well know that several BJD MPs and MLAs have used the helicopter of IMFA. Even Naveen Babu has also used the helicopter while his father Biju Patnaik had also used the helicopter during election campaign,” Panda pointed out.
He further said why the BJD is targeting IMFA which has given employment to 6000 people. “Why the BJD leaders are after these 6000 employees? If I am not acceptable to them, let them speak whatever against me,” he said.
Refuting allegations of the BJD leaders as baseless, Panda’s political secretary Jyoti Prakash Ghosh said a conspiracy has been hatched by the ‘third floor’ against the Kendrapara MP to mislead the people and divert their attention from the Kunduli suicide case. “The people will not tolerate this and give the government a fitting reply in the coming days,” he averred.
Notably, Panda was suspended from the primary membership of BJD by the party supremo Naveen Patnaik on January 24 on the basis of the report submitted by two senior party leaders Pramila Mallick and Usha Devi.
