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Giridhar Gopal in Bhubaneswar
Expelled Biju Janata Dal Member of Parliament Jagannath Mallik on Saturday accused Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik of forcing a split in the party.
Mallik is one of the three MPs expelled by the BJD for six years for anti-party activities on Saturday. Kumudini Patnaik and Prabhat Samant Ray are the other expelled MPs.
"The party constitution does not empower him to take such an action. The expulsion is illegal," Mallik told rediff.com.
"Six of the ten BJD MPs in Lok Sabha, including me, elected Prasanna Acharya as the leader of the BJD Parliamentary Party and this decision stands today," he claimed.
The Lok Sabha speaker Manohar Joshi has recognised Acharya as the leader of the BJD Parliamentary Party.
The days of Patnaik are numbered, another expelled BJD MP Kumudini Patnaik said. "We have set a target to oust Patnaik from power and from the BJD by the end of this year. Our expulsion is going to prove counterproductive for him."
RELATED REPORTS: BJP expels six MLAs for supporting Dilip Ray in RS polls Now, Orissa BJP wants action against BJD MLAs Patnaik may expel suspended Biju Janata Dal legislators
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