Bedlam in Odisha Assembly

“Congress, BJP legislators protest against Speaker’s ruling on remarks on ex-DGP”

The proceedings of the Odisha Assembly were affected on Wednesday when the Congress and the BJP legislators sat on a dharna in the Well of the House in protest against Speaker Niranjan Pujari’s ruling to expunge their statements on the Prakash Mishra case.

The legislators sat on dharna soon after the House assembled for the day, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the proceedings till 12.30 pm.

The Opposition was aggrieved over the Speaker’s decision to expunge their statements made in support or against Prakash Mishra during a debate on the law and order issue on Tuesday.

Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra raised the issue again when the House reassembled. He submitted that he had just mentioned about the vigilance case against former Director General of Police Prakash Mishra and there was no point of expunging his statement. The Speaker, however, refused to change his ruling on the issue.

The Opposition later attacked the government during the debate on an adjournment motion on the issue of alleged mismanagement in the Brahma Parivartan during the Nabakalebara festival of Lord Jagannath in July this year.

Taking part in the debate, the Opposition legislators alleged that the various irregularities were committed in many aspects ranging from procurement of logs for making the idols of the deities to implementation of developmental projects and at last replacement of Brahma from the old idols with new ones during day time.

The government, however, countered the Opposition claiming no irregularity was committed in the Nabakalebara festival though there had been some delay in the Brahma Parivartan rituals.

“Also fault with the government on the mismanagement in the Brahma Parivartan”