Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Nov 30:

President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday assured the opposition BJP and the Congress that he would look into their allegations against the alleged autocratic functioning of the ruling BJD in the ongoing winter session of the Odisha Assembly and act as per constitutional provisions.

BJPMukherjee, who arrived in the Odisha capital on a two-day visit to the state on Saturday, was reportedly taken aback after hearing the allegations  against the BJD for disrupting House proceedings from the Opposition leaders when they met him laste on  Saturday evening.

A BJP delegation, led by the state president KV Singhdeo, met the President at Raj Bhawan at about 8.30 PM and submitted him a two-page memorandum.

The President, after going through the memorandum in great detail, had a 15-minute conversation with the BJP leaders.

Later, a Congress delegation, led by the Leader of the Opposition Narasingh Mishra met the President at 9 PM and aired their grievances on the issue ebfore him.

During the meeting, the opposition leaders of both the parties informed the President that the ruling BJD members have stalled the House proceedings for nine at the instance of their party supremo Naveen Patnaik.

CongressThey said that ruling party members have forcibly passed the supplementary demand of the Home department without any discussion in the House, something unprecedented in the annals of the legislature.

Even the Speaker, who is the leader of the House, had become a party to the conspiracy, they alleged requesting the President to intervene in the matter. No discussion was allowed by the Speaker on the supplementary demmand of the Home department, they pointed out.

Prior to their meeting with the President, the opposition leaders had taken up the matter with Governor Dr SC Jamir.

In their memorandum, they alleged that the Advocate General is a part of the conspiracy with the ruling party to take away the rights of the Opposition in the House.

Alleging that both the chief minister and the Speaker have disrupted the Assembly session in gross violation of constitutional provisions, the Opposition leaders sought early intervention of the Governor.

publive-image