Oppn boycotts Orissa House over Cong trespass

Twice, House proceedings were adjourned for ten minutes each as Opposition members repeatedly rushed into the well and urged the Chair to reprimand the treasury benches for the manner in which they were treating the business before the legislature.

After stalling proceedings for about two hours, Leader of Opposition, Sachidananda Dalal, BJD member Bijoy Mohapatra, JD members, Ashok Das and Nalinikanta Mohanty and BJP member, Biswabhushan Harichandan urged Dy Speaker Bibhuti Bhushan Singh Mardaraj to direct the CM to tender an unconditional apology.

When Mardaraj rejected the plea, entire Opposition staged a walk-out and later decided to boycott rest of the proceedings of the day.

Unlike last night, both, Treasury and Opposition benches were full this morning as House assembled and obituary references were made in honour of the eighth martyr from Orissa in Kargil, Havildar Gangaram Das.

As Speaker Chintamani Dyan Samantara asked a minister to reply to questions, JD member Nalinikanta Mohanty referred to last night’s incident saying whatever happened was a slur on democracy.

He was supported by Ramkrushna Patnaik (BJD), Biswabhushan Harichandan (BJP) and Bijoy Mohapatra (BJD) though ruling party member Jayadev Jena protested saying that the issue could be taken up during zero hour.

Patnaik, Harichandan and Mohapatra alleged that four members including Finance Minister Raghunath Patnaik had entered the House through the Speaker’s chamber in an illegal manner after the division bell had been sounded and doors were closed.

Mohapatra said that the four Congress members should also tender apologies.

Janata Dal legislature party leader Narasingha Mishra said that even after the CM once regretted the failure of the ministers to be present in the house things had not improved.

Stating that last night’s incident would not be repeated, the Dy Speaker chided Opposition members for raking up an issue which had been sorted out yesterday.

“You wanted a division and it was allowed”, he said as Opposition members erupted again forcing the Dy Speaker to adjourn House for ten minutes.

After the Dy Speaker expressed his inability to direct CM to apologise, all the Opposition members walked out.

The CM then rose to point out that there was a difference between apology and regret and he had not committed anything wrong which required an apology. But dignity of House had to be maintained, he said.

Earlier, Minister of State for Excise Suresh Routray, Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies Ganeswar Behera and Congress member Jayadev Jena said that BJD member Panchanan Kanungo had also dragged another Opposition member Jogendra Behera into the House illegally before the voting began.

Finance minister Raghunath Patnaik said that the Opposition had levelled an allegation against some Congress members for a mistake which they had committed first.

Patnaik said it was his moral duty to protect the government.