The monsoon session of the Assembly was adjourned sine die by Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat.
The 13th session of the 14th Assembly ended on a discordant note with the Opposition Congress boycotting valedictory address. Repeated requests of the Speaker to the Congress members cut no ice.
Congress Chief Whip Prasad Harichandan objected when the Speaker announced that the House will not transact any other legislative business after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s reply to an adjournment motion on deteriorating law and order situation in the State.
As per the list of business for the day, the House was scheduled to consider and pass the Odisha Police Bill, 2013.
Requesting the Speaker to allow the House to discuss the Bill, Harichandan said it was decided at the business advisory committee on Monday that the Bill will be taken up on Tuesday. Accordingly, Bill was placed in the list of business. He took strong exception to the unilateral decision of the Speaker without consulting the Opposition.
“This will create a bad precedent. Let the member-in-charge be allowed to move the consideration motion for discussion. Since it will not be possible to pass the Bill during the day, the discussion will remain inconclusive and the Bill will be taken up in next session,” Harichandan argued.
Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh also made a similar plea for discussion on the Bill.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kalpataru Das said discussion on the Bill was deferred due to paucity of time. He requested the Congress members to cooperate with the Speaker.
The Congress members walked out from the House when the Speaker said this is not going to create a bad precedent as such decisions were taken earlier.
The Speaker asked Government Chief Whip Pravat Tripathy to persuade the Congress members to participate in the valedictory address. The Congress MLAs, however, did not relent.