Day 6: Stalemate continues in Odisha Assembly; Ruling MLAs meet CM

Bhubaneswar: Its been six days since the second phase of Odisha Assembly’s Budget Session commenced on March 12, no business has reportedly been transacted owning to the pandemonium created by legislators of both the ruling and Opposition over different issues.

Today, soon after the House assembled, legislators of the ruling party and the opposition parties created an uproar in the House. While BJD MLAs stood up from their seats and started sloganeering demanding apology from BJP MLA Subash Panigrahi for his ‘suicide attempt’ inside the House, BJP and Congress members went to the Well of the House and protested over Mandi mismanagement.

Following the ruckus, Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro adjourned the House thrice till 4 PM.

Later, over 50 BJD MLAs marched towards Lok Seva Bhawan to meet Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and complain about violation of State Assembly’s tradition due to the suicide bid by the BJP MLA. Through video conference, they urged him to intervene for restoration of normalcy in the House.  After that a group of the ruling party MLAs went to Naveen Niwas to meet him in person, sources said.

On the other hand, all Congress MLAs sat on a dharna below the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on Assembly premises as a mark of protest over Mandi mismanagement.

Earlier yesterday, BJP Chief Whip Mohan Majhi issued a whip asking all party MLAs to remain present in the House today.

Majhi cautioned all party legislators that action will be taken if anyone flouts the whip without having any valid reason. He asked to remain present in the House till 7PM  today.

“All the members of the BJP Legislative Party are here directed to remain present in the OLA  from 10 AM to 7 PM on March 18 without fail. Action deemed proper will be taken If anybody fails to attend the Assembly tomorrow without my permission and without sufficient reasons,” Majhi said in the Whip.