Bhubaneswar, June 22 -- Suspended BJD MLA Arvind Mohapatra on Monday called Biju Janata Dal's (BJD) petition to disqualify eight MLAs for alleged cross-voting during the Rajya Sabha elections "a foolish step", stating there is no law in place to punish MLAs simply for voting for a different candidate.

His remarks come after Odisha Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy dismissed the BJD's petition seeking the disqualification of eight MLAs for alleged cross-voting during the Rajya Sabha elections on March 16.

"There is no law of suspending or expelling the MLAs who have voted for a different candidate. So, I think it was a foolish step by the BJD. They have all the democratic right to go to the High Court or the Supreme Court... I do not have an...