Bhubaneswar: With all eyes on his next political move, former Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda on Thursday had a customary meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan following his resignation.
In a tweet, the former Parliamentarian informed that the meeting was cordial and the Lok Sabha Speaker was very considerate and enquired into the circumstances leading to his resignation from the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) party in Odisha.
"Had a cordial meeting with the Lok Sabha Speaker, as is customary, on my quitting BJD & resignation from LS. She was very considerate, enquired into the circumstances, asked me to give it a thought, & said she would apply her mind on it before taking a decision," tweeted Baijayant.
Earlier, Senior Congress leader and former minister Bhagabat Prasad Mohanty had written to Lok Sabha Speaker urging her to not accept Baijayant Panda's resignation.
In his letter, Mohanty had stated that Panda is a seasoned politician and his absence from the Parliament would be a big loss for the nation.
Mohanty had also cited that Panda has been instrumental in bringing several key private members' bill on the floor of the House.
Earlier, Baijayant Panda had resigned from BJD on May 28 and later tendered his resignation from the membership of Lok Sabha on June 12. In a three-page resignation letter to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Panda had written that he was ‘hurt and unhappy’ over the fact that members of the ruling party did not attend the funeral of his father Dr Bansidhar Panda.
Panda had also cited several other reasons like the party (BJD) deviating from the core principles on which it was built and how he ultimately became the target for being vocal about such deviances.