BHUBANESWAR: The question hour in the Assembly was washed out on Monday with the Opposition BJD and Congress members creating a ruckus over the spate of murders that took place across the state during Holi celebrations on Saturday.
As the Assembly reopened after a three-day holiday for the festival, BJD and Congress members, holding placards and raising slogans, trooped into the well of the House alleging that the BJP government has failed to maintain law and order situation in the state.
Criticising the government for its silence over the issue, the Opposition members demanded that Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi make a statement on the law and order situation in the House.
Congress members further targeted the government over the alleged rise in crimes against women, and protested against the one-week suspension of senior party MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati from the House.
Despite Speaker Surama Padhy’s requests for normalcy, the Opposition members continued to be in the well shouting slogans following which the former was forced to adjourn the House till 12.15 pm. Even after the House reassembled following the adjournment, Congress members continued their protest in the well and later staged a walkout from the House. They then sat on dharna near the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Assembly premises.
After the lunch recess, Congress members raised slogans in the well while the BJD members participated in the budget discussion for Housing and Urban Development and Industries departments. Congress MLA Ashok Das said the state government must wake up from its slumber to act and bring the law and order situation under control. “The chief minister should give up the Home portfolio as law and order situation has deteriorated in the last nine months since the BJP came to power in the state,” demanded BJD MLA Goutam Buddha Das.