OST Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Dec 14:

assembly 1
Leader of Opposition Bhupindar Singh today accused the state government of approving five bills and a motion on central neglect to cyclone and flood affected state in the Business Advisory Committee (BAC), which would be placed in the state Assembly on Monday, in the absence of members from the Congress, BJP and CPI.
“The treasury bench, which does not want to run business in the state Assembly after it misled the people on Central assistance for the recent cyclone and floods, has approved five bills and one motion in the BAC in the absence of opposition, which is contrary to the law. The government wants to kill the democracy,” said Singh at a press conference here.
Singh alleged that the Speaker’s office informed the party members to attend the BAC at extremely short notice on Friday. the meeting was over at about 4.50, before they reached. “We were informed at 3.45 to attend the meeting scheduled to be held at 4 pm. We were holding a press meet at the Gandhi statue located inside Assembly at the time and told them that it will take some time for us to attend the meeting. But when we reached the venue, we found that the meeting was already over at 4.50 pm. It was attended only by the BJD members,” said the leader of Opposition asking that how could the ruling party give approval to bills without taking the opposition into confidence.
The motion on central neglect during Phailin and subsequent floods was brought by government chief whip Pravat Tripahty, while five bills - Odisha Conduct of Exam (Amendment) Bill, 2013, VSS Institute of Medical Science and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2013, Biju Patnaik University of Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2013, Odisha Pani Panchayat (Amendment) Bill, 2013 and Indian stamp (Odisha amendment) Bill, 2013 - are scheduled to be tabled in the Assembly on Monday, said the business list.
Congress chief whip Prasad Harichandan said since the government does not want to run the Assembly after it cut a sorry figure for misleading the Assembly and the people on the Central assistance issue. “It is now seeking safe passage from the issue by adjourning the Assembly,” he charged.