Bhubaneswar: ‘Gifting’ dal to Odisha Assembly Speaker Pramila Mallick led to suspension of two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators as House continued to witness uproarious scenes for the fifth consecutive day today.

BJP MLAs Mohan Charan Majhi and Mukesh Mahaling were suspended by the Speaker for the rest of the session, with only three out of eight business days remaining in the ongoing Monsoon session.

“Speaker Pramila Mallick is not impartial. As she has eaten dal meant for mid-day meal scheme for school children in 2011, we thought of gifting her dal as she loves it. Instead of thanking us, she has suspended our members. We give it a damn. The protest will continue from Saturday,” Opposition leader of Odisha Assembly Jay Narayan Mishra said.

The firebrand BJP leader further said that when certain things were expunged by the Speaker on the protest of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) members then why it was not the case with us? Why this impartiality? the Sambalpur MLA questioned.

“Member Jay Narayan Mishra had raised the topic: who is supreme? Politicians or bureaucrats? On this context, he had said that CM is not running the state, rather Super CM is running the affairs. The Speaker directed to expunge the ‘Super CM’ word. It was done promptly. However, when BJD MLA Arun Kumar Sahoo described the leader of Opposition suffering from mental health disorder, it was not expunged despite our protest. The Speaker is functioning like a ruling party member. We had carried dal to the House to gift it to the Speaker. We haven’t thrown to the Speaker’s podium,” BJP leader and Opposition chief whip Mohan Charan Majhi said.

Earlier in the day, Nayagarh MLA Dr Arun Kumar Sahu had said Congress leader Narasingha Mishra and BJP leader Jay Narayan Mishra have been criticizing the 5T governance style which has led to development in all the constituencies of the state.

“Two Mishras have been criticising the 5T governance style of the state government which is a concept. There has been overall development in all the constituencies including those of opposition MLAs through the 5T concept. I will quit politics if there is no development in Odisha," Sahoo said adding that there seems to be some "mental health disorder" with the Opposition members and requested all to come to the House in a good mental health condition.

This statement of the ruling party legislator led to pandemonium in the House.

“We did not throw dal at the podium. We have gifted the Speaker. The action on the opposition leaders is a black day in the history of Odisha Assembly,” MLA Mukesh Mahaling expressed.

BJD MLA form Badamba Debi Prasad Mishra said the incident of throwing dal at the Speaker’s podium is a black day in the history of Odisha Assembly.

“This is very unfortunate. No one in Odisha will accept this type of attitude of a few Opposition MLAs in House,” said BJD legislator from Narla Bhupinder Singh.

The action has been taken in accordance with the rules and procedures of the Assembly, said the Speaker.