BHUBANESWAR: The first day of the monsoon session on Thursday was adjourned after obituary references to Rajendra Dholakia, who was the Nuapada MLA and six other former members of the House.
As soon as the House assembled at 11 am, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi moved the obituary motion over the demise of Dholakia, former deputy speaker Bibhuti Busan Singh Mardaraj, former members Prasanna Kumar Pattnaik, Karendra Majhi, Niranjan Hermbram, Prafulla Kumar Bhanja and Mohammad Rafique, and constables Loknath Sabar and Laxman Majhi.
Paying tributes to the late members, the chief minister recalled working with Dholakia and Karendra Majhi. The chief minister praised the sacrifice made by the two constables, who laid their lives while on duty. The MLAs observed two-minute silence in memory of the deceased.
Speaker Surama Padhy, on behalf of the House, also paid tributes to the departed souls and conveyed the House’s condolences to the families of the ex-members and late constables. “As Rajendra Dholkia was the sitting member of the 17th Assembly, the House will remain adjourned for the day as per tradition,” the speaker said.
Deputy leader of Opposition Prasanna Acharya, leader of the Congress legislature party Rama Chandra Kadam and CPM member Laxman Munda also paid tributes to the deceased.