BHUBANESWAR: Noisy scenes were witnessed in the Assembly on Friday as the Opposition Congress and BJP members created a ruckus following the rejection of two adjourment motion notices submitted by them to Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat over the deteriorating law and order situation in the State.
No business could be transacted for most part of the day as Congress and BJP members rushed to the well shouting slogans. The House could not run even for a minute as the Speaker adjourned it till 3 pm. In the afternoon session also, noisy scenes prevailed over the issue and the House remained adjourned from 3 pm to 3.30 pm. However, as Friday was a private members’ day, normalcy returned to House from 3.30 pm.
Criticising rejection of the adjournment motion notices, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Narasingh Mishra said outside the House that discussion on the deteriorating law and order situation was not allowed on flimsy grounds as the State Government is afraid. Alleging that rule of jungle prevails in the State, Mishra said investigation of crime has become weak because of large number of vacancies.
Besides, the ruling party is using police for political purposes, he said and added that Odisha Police Bill is yet to be passed after it was turned down by the President. The State Government does not have answers for all these questions and that is why the adjournment motion notice on law and order was rejected, he said.
Describing the Speaker’s decision as unfortunate, Naba Kishore Das (Cong) said, the people of Odisha should know how the ruling party, being in majority in the House, is trying to suppress the voice of the Opposition. Samir Ranjan Dash (BJD), however, defended the decision of the Speaker and criticised the Opposition for stalling the House without any reason.
Though adjournment motion notices were submitted by the Opposition, any specific incident of law and order situation wasn’t mentioned for which the notices had been rejected by the Speaker. Opposition chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati, however, said they wanted to raise the law and order issue over the recent incidents of bombings at Badambadi in Cuttack and ladies hostel of BJB Autonomous College in Bhubaneswar on Thursday night.