The BJD has requested Lok Sabha Speaker Mrs Sumitra Mahajan to allocate a separate seat for Baijayant Panda, MP who has been suspended from the party and that he be relieved from the membership of the Standing Committee on Home Affairs.

A letter to this effect was given to the Speaker by Mr Bhatruhari Mahatab, leader of the BJD in the Lok Sabha.

Mr Mahatab stated that Panda has been suspended from the primary membership of teh BJD by the party president Naveen Patnaik since 24 January.

Hence, he may be seated away from the seats earmarked for members of the BJD in the Lok Sabha. Further, since the BJD wishes to have another member of the party in the Standing Committee on Home Affairs, Mr Panda may be relieved from the committee said the letter.

Interestingly, the BJD president Naveen Patnaik who had asked all his MPs to resign from the committees on Saturday perhaps hoping that it will automatically result in removal of Panda today realised the futility of such an exercise and asked his MPs who are in other committees to continue.

The botched up exercise of Saturday was exposed the same day when it was known that a member of any committee cannot be removed until he or she volunteers to resign.

But seen in this context even today’s move seeking separate seat for Panda and removing him from the Standing Committee on Home Affairs seems to be doubtful.

Another interesting aspect that comes to fore is the mention of Panda being ‘suspended from the primary membership of the party’.

How can a party leader be suspended from ‘primary membership’ , is the question that it being raised. It may be noted here that Panda has fallen out of grace of CM Naveen Patnaik since last three to four years.

Recently Panda had written and made public statements leveling accusations against bureaucrats manning the CMO.

He continued his tirade against the non-Odia IAS officer calling the shots in the party and government despite CM Naveen Patnaik asserting that he was in total command.

The repeated allegations of Panda prompted Patnaik to suspend him from the party in January.