BHUBANESWAR: The furore over Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar's statement on NDA Presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu rocked the Assembly on Thursday, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House till 4 pm.
BJP members raised the issue as soon as the House assembled for the day at 10:30 am. Raising anti-Congress slogans they rushed into the well demanding an apology from the Congress members and a censure motion to be passed in the House for the derogatory remark against Murmu.
Congress members also rushed to the well of the house opposing the BJP members for stalling the proceedings for an issue which is not connected to the State. Speaker Bikram Keshari Arukha had to adjourn the House till 11:30 am and then till 4 pm after the BJP members did not pay any heed to his request to raise the issue during the zero hour.
The BJP members took strong exception to the statement of Ajoy Kumar, a former Lok Sabha member from Jharkhand that Murmu, though a decent person herself, represents the 'evil philosophy of India' and should not be made the symbol of tribals.
Stating that the remarks against Murmu was unfortunate, Opposition chief whip told mediapersons outside that this is not the personal opinion of Kumar, but the views of its leader Rahul Gandhi and the party. "We demand an unconditional apology from Congress and passing of a censure motion against the party in Odisha Assembly," he said.
However, Congress whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati said that the BJP members are creating disturbance in the Assembly only for publicity. "There is no point in disturbing the Assembly proceeding as it is run on the money of the people of Odisha. The BJP members are doing this only to get publicity," he said.
After the House was adjourned, the BJP MLAs holding banners staged a dharna on the Assembly premises and waved placards against the Congress. They also held a rally outside and condemned the Congress for being ‘ anti-tribal, anti woman and anti-Odia.’
31 schemes announced in 12 years by government
BHUBANESWAR: The State government has introduced 31 schemes in the State during a 12-year period from 2010 to 2022. Minister for Planning and Convergence Rajendra Dholakia revealed this in the Assembly in a written reply to a question from Bhabani Shankar Bhoi (BJP).
The Minister said that out of this, 16 schemes were announced and implemented in two years from 2017 to 2018. The Minister, however, admitted that some of the schemes have been stopped after the 2019 general elections while some have been changed.