Odisha Jan Morcha (OJM) president Pyarimohan Mohapatra on Thursday expelled the party’s general secretary-cum-spokesperson Amiya Pandav from the party for ‘anti-party activities.’
A release issued by the OJM justified the expulsion order saying Pandav had been hobnobbing with leaders of other parties and creating disturbances in the OJM. It also said the magazine edited by him had carried a number of articles vilifying OJM leaders.
Pandav, however, said he and several other workers of the OJM resigned from the party in protest against the dictatorial style of functioning in the party. “We had left the BJD protesting lack of internal democracy in the party. But now I find that there is no internal democracy in this party either.” Mohapatra hit back, accusing Pandav of hobnobbing with the Aama Odisha Party after being denied an OJM ticket for the Rajnagar Assembly constituency.