High drama unfolds in Odisha assembly as suspended Cong MLAs refuse to leave House

Congress and BJD MLAs stage a protest during the Budget session of Odisha Assembly, in Bhubaneswar, Monday. Pic/PTI

The Odisha Assembly was the scene of high drama on Tuesday as 12 Congress MLAs, including the party's Legislature Party leader Rama Chandra Kadam, staged a protest in the well of the House. According to news agency PTI, the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) refused to vacate despite being suspended for seven days owing to "indiscipline." They demanded the formation of a committee to investigate crimes against women during the Bharatiya Janata Party's rule in the state after it won the assembly polls eight months ago.

Speaker Surama Padhy announced the suspensions in the afternoon, but the defiant legislators continued their demonstration, prompting her to request the marshals to persuade them to leave before adjourning the session for the day, PTI reported. Senior Congress member Taraprasad Bahinipati, one of the two MLAs who escaped the suspension, stated, "We have decided to spend the night in the well of the House and continue to demand the formation of the committee. Let them throw us out using marshals or the police. We are not scared."

Among the suspended MLAs were Sagar Charan Das, Mangu Khilla, Satyajeet Gomango, Ashok Kumar Das, Dasarathi Gamango, and Sofia Firdous. Bahinipati and Ramesh Jena escaped suspension as they were not present in the House during the announcement. Bahinipati had previously faced a suspension for seven working days on March 11, PTI reported.

As soon as the suspension was announced, Congress members erupted in protest, playing gongs and chanting ‘Ram dhuns', while continuing their ‘dharna' in the well. This protest was part of a series of actions by Congress MLAs, who have been utilising various instruments such as whistles, flutes, gongs, and cymbals to demand the establishment of a House Committee. The assembly has struggled to function since the second phase of the budget session began on March 7.

Amid the chaos, Speaker Padhy adjourned the proceedings on seven occasions before lunch and seven times after the House reconvened at 4 pm. While Congress members continued their protests, members of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) shouted slogans demanding proportional reservation for Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) in education and jobs.

An all-party meeting convened by Deputy Speaker Bhabani Shankar Bhoi also failed to bring any resolution, as the disruptions continued. In light of the situation, three senior BJD members - Opposition Chief Whip Pramila Mallik, veteran legislator RP Swain, and former minister Ganeswar Behera - called for the Speaker to reconsider the suspensions. "We urge the Speaker to give it a thought as to why such an incident took place. It is high time that the Chief Minister intervenes and resolves the issue," said Behera.

(With PTI inputs)