Bhubaneswar: two more Congress MLAs were Wednesday suspended by Odisha Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy as the House witnessed ruckus and was adjourned four times.
Opposition BJD members raised the issue of reservation for the ST, SC and OBCs in education and jobs and walked out of the House as soon as the House assembled for Question Hour at 10.30 am.
The two Congress MLAs – Taraprasad Bahinipati and Ramesh Jena – who escaped suspension on Tuesday, started beating gongs to protest the suspension of 12 of their members on Tuesday.
They demanded a House Committee to inquire into the rise in crime against women across the state.
Irked over the disturbance created by the two Congress members, government chief whip Saroj Kumar Pradhan moved a motion seeking their suspension and the House adopted it through voice vote.
With this, all the 14 Congress MLAs were suspended for seven working days.
However, BJD members joined the House after paying tribute to B R Ambedkar’s statue and demanded a statement from the Speaker on the alleged ill-treatment of Congress members who were staging an overnight dharna in the well of the House protesting their suspension.
Unable to run the House, Speaker Padhy adjourned the House for 30 minutes and convened an all-party meeting to resolve the impasse in the Assembly for seven days.
Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, BJD deputy leader in the Assembly Prasanna Acharya demanded a statement from the Speaker on the alleged assault on suspended Congress MLAs by the security staff on Tuesday night.
He said the Congress MLAs have alleged that they were beaten up while being forcibly evicted from the Assembly premises around 2 am. They had then spent the night on the street near the party’s office.
Stating that the opposition has the right to put forth their views and statements in the House, Acharya alleged that the ruling party became hyperactive.
Opposition Chief Whip and senior BJD leader Pramila Mallik alleged the Congress MLAs were beaten up and some members injured as per media reports. “You (Speaker) are not saying anything on this matter. You are not also making any statement on our demand for reservation of seats for OBC,” she said.
Mallik also drew the attention of the Speaker saying that BJD MLAs were not allowed to go outside the House when they went to BR Ambedkar’s statue.
BJD’s 8-time MLA, RP Swain said, “We have given notice four times in the past three days for discussion on reservation for SC ST and OBC. What is your agenda? When the scuffle took place in the House on March 11, you have given one-sided direction. We heard that someone has snatched the chain of Bahinipati. Who will give clarification on this matter,” Swain said.
BJD member Arun Kumar Sahoo said when the Congress MLAs demanded a statement from the chief minister on the crime against women issue, it was rejected. In the three all-party meetings, the Congress members demanded a House Committee but it was also rejected, he said.
Treasury bench members Tankadhar Tripathy, Om Prakash Mishra and others defended the government and the Speaker’s action.
The BJD MLAs for the second time in the pre-lunch session staged a walkout demanding a statement from the Speaker.
BJP MLA Padma Lochan Panda expressed “displeasure” over the Speaker’s decision to suspend two more Congress MLAs. “You have suspended two MLAs for beating gongs. It is not right. Please convene an all-party meeting and ensure smooth functioning of the House till the end,” he said.
Meanwhile, the suspended Congress MLAs were forcibly taken into custody by police after a scuffle with security personnel at the main gate of the Odisha Assembly here Wednesday, a party leader alleged.
Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena said the Congress leaders and activists were detained for breach of prohibitory order imposed near the Assembly building.
The Congress MLAs scuffled with the security personnel when they tried to enter the Assembly premises. As they were suspended from the Assembly for seven days on charge of ‘indiscipline’, the police prevented their entry, but the Congress legislators argued that they have the right to enter the Assembly premises, if not the House.
Congress Legislature Party leader Ram Chandra Kadam said: “We wanted to enter the Assembly premises to stage a dharna near the Mahatma Gandhi statue to protest the suspension of 12 of the 14 Congress MLAs on Tuesday. However, the police did not allow us entry into the Assembly premises. This is a gross violation of the privilege of elected peoples’ representatives.”
Congress MLAs Taraprasad Bahinipati and Ramesh Jena, who were not suspended on Tuesday, also had a tough time entering the Assembly premises. However, they were finally allowed entry.
Congress MP from Koraput, Saptagiri Ulaka, alleged that he was manhandled by the security personnel when entering the Assembly.
The tension escalated when the BJD MLAs also wanted to go outside the Assembly premises after staging a walkout from the House. They too had a scuffle with the security personnel. However, the BJD MLAs including senior members like RP Swain and Arun Kumar Sahoo, forcibly opened the gate and came out of the premises.
“We are going to offer tribute at the statue of B R Ambedkar at the AG Chhak. But, the police did not open the gates. This is injustice,” said senior BJD MLA Ganeswar Behera, adding that the party has been agitating in the Assembly demanding proper reservation for ST, SC and OBC candidates in education and jobs.
Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das and AICC in-charge of Odisha, Ajay Kumar Lallu are sitting on dharna in the Master Canteen area on Wednesday protesting the suspension of 12 party MLAs.
Kadam alleged that the party MLAs during their stay in the Assembly, were denied food, water and even toilet facility. Kadam was injured in the Assembly on Tuesday night as a security man slammed the door on his hand. He sustained injury on his finger.
The DCP said Congress leaders and activists were taken on preventive arrest and released at the reserve ground.
