"It will set a bad precedent to ask an elected people's representative to resign. This is something against the democratic process," Finance Minister and BJD vice president Prafulla Chandra Ghadai said.
His views got support from the party rank and file. "It is personal choice of the MLA whether to continue or not. This is absolutely wrong to ask an MLA to put in his papers," said another vice president Damodar Rout, who is also a former minister.
Patnaik, who expressed his happiness over the release of his party MLA, however, refused to take question on the issue. He left the place as soon as reporters wanted to know his views on the reported resignation of Hikaka at the 'praja' (people's) court held by Maoists.
Veteran CPI leader Dwitikrushna Panda also denounced the idea. "You may be Maoist or anybody, but nobody can force an elected people's representative to resign," he told reporters.
Hikaka himself avoided the question saying, "You will come to know everything later."
The MLA, at the same time, also did not deny about his written commitment to the abductors to resign.
"They (Maoists) organised the praja court in their own style. They did not put pressure on me. Whatever happened there was done mutually," he told reporters after his release. PTI AAM RG