BHUBANESWAR: The Assembly witnessed noisy scenes on Monday over the issue of privilege notice against Agriculture Minister Pradeep Maharathy for misleading the House on farmers’ suicide with Congress MLAs demanding a ruling from Speaker Niranjan Pujari in this regard.
The Speaker had to adjourn the House for 21 minutes from 11.54 am to 12.15 pm as Congress members rushed to the Well shouting slogans. The issue was raised during Zero Hour by Congress member Naba Kishore Das who wanted to know the reason behind the Speaker’s delay in taking a decision in this regard.
Das had moved a privilege motion notice against the Agriculture Minister on Friday. Kailash Chandra Kulesika and Krushna Chandra Sagaria (both Cong) had also moved a separate motion on breach of privilege against Maharathy on the same day.
As the Speaker is yet to take a decision in this regard, Congress members rushed to the Well and attempted to climb to the Speaker’s podium. Unable to run the House, Pujari adjourned it till 12.15 pm. The House functioned normally after it reassembled.
The Government’s decision to abolish the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) also cropped up during the Zero Hour with KV Singhdeo (BJP) demanding that the Speaker should direct Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to clarify the issue.
Singhdeo said when members of Orissa State Administrative Tribunal Bar Association met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the Secretariat against the decision of the Cabinet to abolish the SAT, he had assured that the State Government will consider the demand of the lawyers favourably. But a decision is yet to be taken, he said.
Congress chief whip Taraprasad Bahinipati criticised the Government for the increasing number of crime against women in Odisha. He referred to two incidents, one in Ganjam and the other in Sundargarh district. However, culprits in both the cases are yet to be apprehended, he said and urged the Speaker to direct the Chief Minister to give a statement in the House in this regard.
Amar Prasad Satpathy (BJD) demanded that the State Government should make public if it has any file on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.