Pyari quits as BJD RS leader

Dissident BJD Rajya Sabha member Pyarimohan Mohapatra on Saturday resigned as the party’s parliamentary group leader in Rajya Sabha.

“I submitted my resignation letter to the chairman of Rajya Sabha this morning,” Mohapatra told this paper on his return from Delhi. Pyari said he resigned because of the breakdown of communication between him and BJD president-Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. He is likely to be succeeded by Sashi Bhusan Behera. P 3