BJD MP Baijayant Panda suspended for 'anti-party activities' by Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik

Days after BJD MP Baijayant Panda took to social media to raise his voice against Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, he has been suspended from the party. The charges against him range from indulging in anti-party activities to 'monopolistic utilisation' of MPLAD funds. Panda had said that there is an 'orchestrated campaign' to discredit him. 

Here's how Panda reacted to the news:

*I'm shocked at this news
*Very very sad @Naveen_Odisha didn't see thru the conspiracy agnst me led by an IAS ofcr now controlling th party
*I vehemently deny the allegations agnst me, they are entirely false & baseless
*I will pray to Jagannath for guidance b4 i respond further

— Baijayant Jay Panda (@PandaJay) January 24, 2018

Many political pundits believe that this decision was long time coming as Panda increasingly refused to tow Naveen Patnaik's line inside the party. Panda, who is extremely popular on Twitter often praised various schemes of the Modi government. He even faced violent protests from BJD workers lin May last year in Kendrapara when eggs were thrown at him. Panda however said at that time that he wil not be cowed down by such protests. 

Panda's next political move will be closely watched at a time when BJP is gaining traction in Odisha. The Assembly poll for the state is due next year. 

With BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik asking party observers to probe complaints against him, the party's Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda last week had  blamed an officer in CM's office for the "orchestrated campaign".

Panda took to social media to make his points after Patnaik asked BJD's Cuttack district party observer Usha Devi and Kendrapara district observer Pramila Mallick to inquire into the allegations against the Lok Sabha MP.
"The ongoing farcical complaints against me by block and district level BJD office-bearers is an orchestrated campaign conducted by the bureaucrat-cum-politician who has gained nearly total control over our party," Panda wrote in a Facebook post.

The senior parliamentarian had accused an officer in the CMO of interfering in the affairs of the BJD, in contravention of the service rules. Thereafter, the BJD district and block level officer bearers had alleged that Panda was not keeping in touch with them and that he ignored party people while undertaking developmental activities under the MPLAD scheme. Party leaders and workers from Nischintakoeli, Marshaghai, Mahakalpada, Salepur and Kendrapara blocks had lodged compaint against Panda before the BJD president.

Panda in a bid to refute the allegations, displayed some pictures in his Facebook post where some of the "complainants" were with him at different functions. "These pictures show that not only have I kept in touch with party members, but have also actively involved them in my reviews and inaugurations of infrastructure projects, both MPLAD and others," Panda said. One of the pictures even shows BJD's Derabish block chairman reviewing the construction of the very same project (Kendrapada's first large auditorium and Odisha's biggest MPLAD-funded project) which he is now threatening to disrupt, Panda pointed out.

"It saddens me that they (party men) can think of obstructing projects which the late Biju babu had conceived/supported and I'm trying to fulfill. I've also included a pic of my personal invite letter that all these 'complainants' have been sent, as well as hundreds of others (alongwith phone, SMS, and official follow up)," Panda said.

Pointing a finger at the CMO, Panda said "... Rather than being angry, I'm just laughing at this hypocrisy, because these poor guys are under immense pressure, getting calls from officials in the CM's office that they will lose their party posts and not get tickets in future if they displease the babu-politician who is now controlling things." "Of course, a serving bureaucrat being actively involved in politics is 'strictly' forbidden in the service code. I don't think this chap particularly cares about law and rules, but sooner or later karma has a way of catching up with your misdeeds," he said.

However all those complaints seems to have had its desired effect, with Panda getting suspended from BJD. 

With PTI inputs