BHUBANESWAR: BJP legislators on Saturday called on Governor Ganeshi Lal to protest the decision of Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro to adjourn the winter session of the Assembly sine die, 29 days ahead of schedule and the prolonged absence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik from the House.
A delegation of the party’s legislators met the Governor at Raj Bhawan here and complained against the Speaker for allegedly perpetrating a constitutional crisis by shortening the length of the Assembly sessions without taking the members into confidence.
Terming Patro’s decision to adjourn the winter session sine die as ‘undemocratic’ and ‘unconstitutional’, the BJP lawmakers alleged that the former is not running the House in an impartial manner.
As per Article 174 of the Constitution, the Assembly should meet for at least 60 working days over three sessions in a calendar year to discuss matters of public interest.
But the 16th Assembly has been deviating from the rules of procedure and conduct of business for the last three years, the BJP MLAs said.
The party’s memorandum stated that the Assembly had conducted business for only 112 working days against the stipulated 180.
It was disappointing that all the sessions of the Assembly were terminated ahead of schedule without consulting the Opposition.
What is more disappointing is the Chief Minister’s absence in the Assembly for the last two years, it read.
“The Chief Minister is travelling across Odisha and attending various programmes including the recently concluded Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup but skipping the Assembly at a time when the Opposition wants his reply on the deteriorating law and order situation in the State and the Mamita Meher murder case,” said deputy leader of Opposition Bishnu Sethi.
After venting their grievances against the Chief Minister and the Speaker for running the Assembly in an undemocratic manner, the saffron party’s legislators visited Sri Jagannath temple, Puri, and prayed to Lord Jagannath to “infuse better sense in the Chief Minister and protect the women and children of the State from the evil administration of the BJD government.”