BHUBANESWAR: As Leader of Opposition Pradipta Kumar Naik is out of action for more than a year, BJP MLAs have pressed for a new leader of the legislature party in the Odisha Assembly before the monsoon session when a full-fledged budget of the State government will be placed. Around 15 legislators who had been to New Delhi for the filing of nomination by NDA presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu had broached the matter with national president JP Nadda.
After returning from Delhi, BJP MLA from Sundargarh Kusum Tete told this paper that the party MLAs apprised Nadda about the difficulties faced by the party in the prolonged absence of the Leader of Opposition (LoP) from the Assembly. “Nadda assured us to resolve the matter before the start of the monsoon session,” she added.
Tete said the BJP is not getting due importance in the Assembly due to the absence of the Leader of Opposition, who has the privilege after the Leader of the House (CM) to raise any issue without giving any notice to the Speaker. Taking this opportunity, the Congress is grabbing more Opposition space and time in the House while the BJP being the principal Opposition is getting less time.“Party’s State unit president Samir Mohanty is also aware of the matter and we hope that a new leader of the BJP legislature party will be decided before the ensuing session starting July 2,” she said.
The issue is also likely to be taken up at the BJP legislature party meeting, which is likely to be held either on June 30 or July 1. Of the many House committees headed by the LoP most importantly the Committee of Public Accounts (PAC) which scrutinises the appropriation accounts of the government and the reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India is unable to meet. Naik was admitted to AIIMS-Bhubaneswar on April 20 after he tested Covid positive. As his condition deteriorated he was shifted to a private hospital in Delhi for post-Covid complications.