Odisha MLA Pradeep Panigrahi Expelled From BJD

Bhubaneswar: MLA Pradeep Panigrahi today was expelled from the primary membership of the Biju Janata Dal (BDJ) for his anti-people activities.

By the order of BJD President Naveen Patnaik, the legislator from Gopalpur Assembly Constituency in Ganjam district has been sacked from the ruling party with immediate effect.

The stringiest action against the party leader was taken after his alleged association with tainted IFS Officer Abhay Kant Pathak’s son Akash Kumar Pathak and involvement in job fraud came to fore in media.

Panigrahi landed in trouble after the Tata Motors Limited (TML) recently  lodged a complaint with the Crime Branch of Odisha Police against Akash Kumar Pathak accusing him of committing cheating, forgery and impersonating as the Managing Director of the company.

The company in its FIR mentioned that Akash had taken huge amount of money fraudulently from unemployed youth alluring them of providing jobs in Tata Motors. Abhay’s son projected himself as the MD of Tata Motor Pune Passenger Division and CEO designate.

The father-son duo was arrested by Odisha Vigilance on Nov 27 on charges of amassing wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income, a day after raids in different places in Bhubaneswar, Mumbai and Pune as well as Tata Motors brought fresh allegations against Akash Pathak.