BJD MP Sasmit Patra on Sunday resigned from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and IT, protesting remarks made by BJP lawmaker Nishikant Dubey about former Odisha chief minister Biju Patnaik.

On March 27, Dubey claimed that Biju Patnaik was the link between former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the CIA in the 1960s.

Patra said he could not continue serving on a committee chaired by someone who made "disrespectful remarks about Late Shri Biju Patnaik ji as he did in a public statement."

Patra, in his resignation letter to the Rajya Sabha chairman on March 28, wrote: "In protest, and as a matter of principle, I am resigning from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and IT under the chairmanship of Shri Nishikant Dubey. I cannot, in good conscience, continue to serve under someone who makes disrespectful remarks about Late Shri Biju Patnaik ji as he did in a public statement."

He also requested the chairman to forward his resignation to the Lok Sabha Speaker.

Three other BJD MPs — Manas Mangaraj, Subhasis Khuntia and Muzibulla Khan (Munna Khan) — criticised Dubey, accusing him of "insulting the pride of Odisha."

The BJD rejected Dubey’s statement and demanded an apology.

Senior vice president Debi Prasad Mishra said: "Dubey's statement was in 'bad taste, mischievous and an insult to a patriot'. We, as a political party, strongly condemn his statement and demand an apology from him."

Patra said Dubey’s claims were "disparaging, false and baseless" and defended Biju Patnaik’s record.

"Biju Patnaik is widely known for having played a pivotal role in India's diplomacy. He was respected for his role in rescuing Indonesian freedom fighters. He was known for his role in supporting the Russians during the Second World War," Patra said.

He added that Biju Patnaik was also respected for his role in the freedom movement.

"But to link him to certain disparaging references and the way the statement was made is extremely unfortunate," Patra said. He criticised the BJP for claiming to uphold 'Odia Asmita': "They speak about 'Odia Asmita', but stoop to such levels to say such disparaging, false and concocted statements against a legend, a statesman like Biju Babu."

Dubey, in his statement to the media, said: "America had sent its troops and CIA agents to Tibet, fearing that China would one day take over Tibet. The Dalai Lama and his brother were in constant contact with the US government. Nehru fought the entire 1962 war with China with American money and in collaboration with CIA agents. Biju Patnaik, the then chief minister of Odisha, was a link between the US government, the CIA, and Nehru."

He added that Odisha's Charbatia airport, in which Biju Patnaik was heavily involved, was a base for U2 aircraft and housed US military from 1963 to 1979.

Biju Patnaik, who served as Odisha’s chief minister from 1961 to 1963 and 1990 to 1995, is the father of current Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who founded the Biju Janata Dal after his father’s death in 1997.