Bhubaneswar: BJP MLAs who resorted to dharna before Mahatma Gandhi statue inside the Odisha Assembly premises on Saturday in protest against suspension of three party colleagues, withdrew the stir this morning.
All the party MLAs sat on dharna before the Gandhi statue since Saturday afternoon after Speaker S N Patro suspended three party MLAs for hurling slippers, microphones and other objects at the Speaker’s podium during a protest in the house.
The unprecedented incident took place in the history of Odisha Assembly after the Speaker refused to entertain an adjournment motion on corruption in mining business moved by the Congress members and the manner in which the Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill was passed in the house without any debate.
The BJP members including a woman member spent the whole night under the open sky,took their dinner and refused to withdraw despite a request from the Speaker who personally went to the dharna place and appealed to the agitating BJP members to withdraw the agitation.
However, this morning the BJP members withdrew from their night-long sit in dharna after the party’s deputy in charge of Odisha affairs Vijaya Pal Singh Tomar requested them to withdraw the dharna.
Leader of Opposition Pradipta Nayak said three party MLAs-Bishnu Charan Sethy, Mohan Majhi and Jayanarayan Mishra were suspended by the Speaker without giving them an opportunity to speak which he described as highly “undemocratic”.
On the hurling of sleepers and other objects at the Speaker’s podium, Mr.Nayak held the Speaker solely responsible for the incident.
The party MLs were peeved when the Speaker did not allow them and even the leader of Opposition to speak and passed the Lokayukta (amendment) Bill in a hurry without any debate.
How can the Speaker debar the leader of opposition who was on his leg to speak, he questioned and alleged that the Speaker was acting in a partisan manner in the house.
The Leader of Opposition said the BJP MLAs would meet Odisha Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal and apprise him about the partisan attitude of the Speaker.They would also urged him not to give assent to the Lokayukta ( amendement) Bill which was passed in the Assembly in a hurry without holding any debate.
Mr.Nayak said since the BJP has no requisite members in the house to move an impeachment motion against the Speaker it would approach the Congress to support
He said if the Congress party agreed to support the proposal they would move a motion of no confidence against the Speaker.
Congress Legislature party leader Narashingh Mishra also came down heavily on the Speaker stating that the adjournment motion moved by the Congress on irregularities in the mining activities was rejected without any reason.
He also disapproved of the passing of the Lokayukta (amendment)Bill in the Assembly when the house was not in order and without any debate.