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Suspended BJD MLA Arvind Mohapatra on Monday called Biju Janata Dal's (BJD) petition to disqualify eight MLAs for alleged cross-voting during the Rajya Sabha elections "a foolish step", stating there is no law in place to punish MLAs simply for voting for a different candidate.
His remarks come after Odisha Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy dismissed the BJD's petition seeking the disqualification of eight MLAs for alleged cross-voting during the Rajya Sabha elections on March 16. "There is no law of suspending or expelling the MLAs who have voted for a different candidate. So, I think it was a foolish step by the BJD. They have all the democratic right to go to the High Court or the Supreme Court... I do not have any concern over that... They need to focus on their organising capability... I believe that the BJD has some serious concerns," he told ANI. Congress has 14 MLAs in the assembly and had extended support to BJD candidate Datteswar Hota for the fourth Rajya Sabha seat, but cross-voting from BJD and Congress MLAs saw BJP-backed independent candidate Dilip Ray clinch the seat from the opposition's hands. The cross-voting from BJD and Congress in favour of Ray left the opposition only with one candidate's victory in the Rajya Sabha polls, while the BJP secured two comfortable seats and one going to an independent candidate. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on March 21 suspended its six MLAs for "anti-party activities, including cross-voting" in the Rajya Sabha elections. A BJD release said that the party's Disciplinary Committee examined the replies of the MLA to the show cause notice issued to them. It said the six MLAs had violated "the core principle" of the BJD Constitution. The suspended MLAs are Chakramani Kanhar of Baliguda, Naba Kishore Mallick of Jayadev, Souvic Biswal of Choudwar-Cuttack, Subasini Jena of Basta, Ramakanta Bhoi of Tirtol, and Devi Ranjan Tripathy of Banki. Earlier in January, Naveen Patnaik had suspended two party MLAs, Arvind Mohapatra and Sanatan Mahakud, from the party with immediate effect for their alleged involvement in anti-party activities. (ANI)
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