BHUBANESWAR: Pandemonium continued in the Assembly for the third consecutive day on Wednesday with the BJD members staging a walkout demanding action against the son of Governor Raghubar Das for allegedly assaulting an assistant section officer (ASO) in the Raj Bhawan at Puri on July 7.
Congress members also created ruckus in the well of the House alleging neglect of Odisha in the Union Budget for 2024-25 forcing Speaker Surama Padhy to adjourn the Assembly first till 11.30 am and then till 4 pm. The Speaker convened an all-party meeting to resolve the stalemate in the House. However, the meeting reportedly remained inconclusive.
Normalcy returned to the House for a brief period in the afternoon session when Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik welcomed the newly-elected deputy Speaker Bhabani Shankar Bhoi.
Earlier, BJD MLA Kalikesh Singh Deo told mediapersons that the Opposition is disappointed with the way the new government is functioning. “Why is the business advisory meeting not being convened to resolve the impasse? Why is government not making a statement in the House on the issue? The House is supreme and this is what holds the government accountable to the people of Odisha. There is a lack of respect on the part of the government for Odisha Assembly and its proceedings,” he alleged.
Singh Deo also claimed that the government is making no efforts to run the House. “The BJP is afraid that the government will be exposed on other issues too if discussions take place. Other issues including price rise and Odisha’s neglect in the Union Budget are there but the government is afraid to discuss them in the House,” he added.
However, BJP MLA Babu Singh said the BJD and Congress have joined hands to disrupt the proceedings of the Assembly. Stating that the BJD should not raise law and order issues, Singh asked, “What action did the previous government take against some ministers who were involved in criminal cases like murder?”
In the afternoon session, BJD and Congress members boycotted the discussion on motion of thanks on the Governor’s address.