Bhubaneswar: Two MLAs – Mohan Charan Majhi and Mukesh Mahaling – of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were suspended for the rest of the monsoon session of the Odisha Legislative Assembly for allegedly throwing pulses at the Speaker’s podium on Thursday.
“The House was irked over their action and words and subsequently action was initiated as per the Assembly rules and procedures. They have been suspended for the current session,” said Speaker Pramila Mallik. She took charge as Speaker on September 22.
According to sources, the incident took place when BJP legislators were protesting in the well of the House against the remark of a ruling BJD MLA Arun Sahoo, who urged the Opposition members to come to the House with good ‘mental health’. “Since Speaker Pramila Mallik loves Dal, we thought of gifting her some. Instead of thanking us, she has suspended our members,” LoP Jayanarayan Mishra told the media.
BJD MLA from Badamba Debi Prasad Mishra called it a black day in the history of Odisha Assembly.
The Opposition’s dal episode is seen as a ploy to mock at Mallik, who had to step down as women and child development minister following allegations against her and her brother in the multi-hundred crore scam in purchase of dal for Midday Meal
scheme and Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP).
BJP whip Mohan Majhi said he didn’t understand why he was suspended as he had neither ‘thrown’ nor ‘gifted’ dal to the Speaker.
The incident added to the list of lows of Odisha Assembly, which has in the past seen shoe-throwing, coin dumping and violence involving lawmakers.
