BHUBANESWAR: The seventh day of the winter session of Assembly saw a poster war being fought between members of BJD and opposition BJP and Congress over the Mamita Meher murder case. The members ensured that no business was transacted on Wednesday as well.
After repeated adjournments and an all-party meeting to break the deadlock, Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro had to adjourn the House for the day without transacting any business.
As soon as the Assembly was convened at 10.30 am, the drama which has been going on for the last one week, unfolded yet again with members of opposition BJP and Congress rushing to the well shouting slogans, holding placards and beating gongs demanding the removal of Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra for his alleged involvement in the Mamita Meher murder case.
The Speaker adjourned the proceedings for an hour till 11.30 am following the ruckus. It then turned out to be a free for all as the ruling BJD and opposition BJP and Congress members tried to outwit each other in a poster war.
The BJP members came out with a fresh photo in which Gobinda Sahu, the prime accused in the Mamita Meher murder case, is seen with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at Naveen Nivas.
“It (the photo) proves that Gobinda Sahu has free access to the residence of the Chief Minister and his proximity with Minister of State for Home. He is not only getting protection from Mishra but from the Chief Minister as well,” opposition chief whip Mohan Majhi told reporters.
To counter the BJP, the ruling BJD members displayed a photo of Gobinda’s lawyer Mohan Lal Sharma with Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, BJP MP Basanta Panda and former Minister KV Singhdeo.
Disputing the ruling BJD’s claim, Sharma said, “I am not a primary member of the BJP but a strong supporter as it is a nationalist party. I was the government counsel when Ayub Khan was MLA. Later I stepped down.”