Biju Janata Dal chief and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday suspended Lok Sabha MP Baijayant “Jay” Panda from the party on disciplinary grounds, PTI reported.

“BJD President Naveen Patnaik has suspended Baijayanta Panda from the primary membership of the party for anti-party activities,” senior minister and BJD Vice President Surjyo Narayan Patro told reporters.

Soon after, Panda responded on Twitter saying he was “shocked at this news”. He said the chief minister did not see “the conspiracy against me led by an Indian Administrative Services officer who is now controlling the party”. He made the statement in reference to Patnaik’s Private Secretary IAS officer V Kartikeyan Pandian.

Panda denied the allegations and called them “entirely false and baseless”. In May 2017, he was sacked from the post of Biju Janata Dal spokesperson after he criticised the party and had a Twitter spat with party colleague Tathagat Satpathy.

With inputs from Priya Ranjan Sahu.