BJD writes to LS Speaker to accept Jay Panda’s resignation

Bhubaneswar: BJD Parliamentary Party leader in Lok Sabha, Bhartruhari Mahtab Monday shot a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker to accept the resignation of Jay Panda as a MP.

Mahtab wrote, “Baijayant Panda was elected to Kendrapara LS Constituency of Odisha in the 2014 general elections on the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) symbol and party ticket. He has been consistently engaging himself in anti-party activities as a result of which the party was constrained to suspend him from the party, which fact was duly communicated to your august office.”

“Since then Mr. Panda has voluntarily given up his primary membership of the BJD and has also reportedly sent his resignation as Lok Sabha M.P. to your office. Since he has voluntarily resigned from the BJD, he cannot continue as a M.P. as per the terms of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India pertaining to anti-defection provisions. In law he stands disqualified as a Lok Sabha M.P. but now that he has resigned of his own accord, the proceedings for his disqualification under the Tenth Schedule need not be initiated by our party,” added Mahtab.

Appealing the LS Speaker to accept Jay Panda’s resignation, Mahtab stated, “I request you to kindly accept his resignation forth-with, since he coasts to be a M.P. as per provisions of the Constitution and the law, to that the necessary consequences may obtain and follow.”

Quoting from the letter by Bhartruhari Mahtab where he stated that the proceedings for his disqualification under the Tenth Schedule need not be initiated by BJD, the former MP Panda responded through a tweet, “Not need not, but cannot. Have some self respect. I did."

https://twitter.com/PandaJay/status/1016564947826851840

Earlier, Baijayant Panda had resigned from BJD on May 28 and later tendered his resignation from the membership of Lok Sabha on June 12.

However, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan after a customary meeting with Jay Panda, had asked him to give it a thought on his resignation