BHUBANESWAR: The Opposition BJD and Congress created ruckus in the Assembly for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, demanding resignation of Health and Family Welfare minister Mukesh Mahaling over the death of 12 patients in the fire mishap at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack on Monday.
The Opposition members trooped into the well of the House as soon as the question hour started. The MLAs also carried a symbolic body wrapped in white cloth into the House and placed it on the reporters’ table.
Speaker Surama Padhy adjourned the House first till 11.30 am and then 4 pm because of the noisy scenes. After the House was adjourned, BJD members, most of them wearing white clothes brought out a mock funeral procession on the Assembly premises chanting ‘Ram Nam Satya Hai’. They carried a bier and other items used in performing the last rites of a deceased according to Hindu rituals.
Talking to mediapersons outside the House, leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik reiterated his demand for resignation of the Health minister taking moral responsibility for the incident. Naveen said when the BJD government was in the state, there was a fire at a private hospital and the then Health minister had resigned.
“Now, several patients have died in the hospital fire. But the government has not taken any steps to make the Health minister resign. It is shocking,” he said, demanding urgent steps for improvement of the health sector and hospitals across the state.
Several BJP members including Babu Singh, Santosh Khatua and Manas Dutta criticised the BJD and Congress members for politicising such a grave incident for which the government has taken immediate measures. BJP member Ashok Mohanty said the procession on the Assembly premises was not acceptable.