BHUBANESWAR: Congress MLAs created ruckus in the Assembly for the second day on Wednesday over absentee ministers during zero hour when the House was discussing the mysterious death of lady VLW and PEO Smitarani Biswal.
Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinpati drew the attention of Speaker Surya Narayan Patro to the absence of Ministers when his senior party colleague Narasingh Mishra was seeking direction from the Speaker for an independent probe into the alleged suicide by the lady VLW in Jajpur district.
Bahinipati was joined by his party members and BJP MLAs in the protest. Mishra said the members participating in discussions are not speaking to the walls. They are addressing the Government through the Speaker for action.
“We raised our problems before the Government. If Ministers will not be present then to whom we will address our issues?,” Mishra wondered.
Following the ruckus, the Speaker directed the Government Chief Whip to ensure the presence of Ministers during House proceedings. "It is the duty of the Chief Whip to ensure the presence of Minister during discussions in the House, be it zero hour or other proceedings," the Speaker said. "The absence of ministers and MLAs shows how much respect they have towards the Assembly," said Leader of Opposition Pradipta Naik.