Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Mar 30: Sasmit Patra on Monday resigned from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and IT, protesting against alleged remarks by its chairman Nishikant Dubey on former Odisha Chief Minister Biju Patnaik.

In a letter to the Rajya Sabha Chairperson, Patra said he was stepping down “as a matter of principle,” stating that he could not continue under a chairperson who had made “disrespectful remarks” about Biju Patnaik.

The controversy stems from Dubey’s alleged statement claiming that Biju Patnaik acted as a link between former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the CIA in the 1960s, sparking outrage among members of Parliament.

Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha, Patra termed the remarks “disparaging, false and concocted,” and accused the ruling party of lowering the standards of political discourse. Members of the Biju Janata Dal staged a walkout in protest and demanded an apology.

Biju Patnaik, a two-time Chief Minister of Odisha and a noted freedom fighter and aviator, is remembered for his role in key historical missions, including aiding Indonesian independence efforts in 1947. The regional party named after him was later founded by his son Naveen Patnaik in 1997.

The incident has triggered fresh political tensions, with opposition parties rallying against the remarks and calling for accountability.