Bhubaneswar: After staging a nightlong dharna on the Odisha Assembly premises, BJP MLAs on Sunday withdrew the agitation following a request by the party’s Odisha Saha Prabhari, Vijay Pal Singh Tomar.
Briefing the media, the leader of the Opposition, Pradipta Naik, said the BJP members will meet the Governor at Raj Bhawan on Monday. They will request the Governor not to give his assent to some recent bills passed in the Assembly because they were allegedly passed unilaterally by the Speaker’s order and without allowing the opposition members to participate in a discussion.
He further said the BJP will have a press briefing on this matter later in the day.
Questioning the impartiality of the Speaker in the State Assembly, Opposition chief whip Mohan Charan Majhi alleged that the manner in which he disallowed the Opposition members from participating in the discussion during the passing of the bills makes it evident that he is being dictated by the treasury bench.
“We demand that the Speaker should maintain impartiality and immediately tender his apology and take necessary steps to properly manage the house proceedings,” he added.
Present on the occasion, BJP member Jayanarayan Mishra said the unruly scene prevailed in the house as the Speaker did not allow them to speak.
Asked whether he would apologize to the house for the indiscipline, Mishra said he will have no hesitation in apologizing to the people of Odisha if they feel that it was not the right thing. But there is no question of apologizing to the Speaker, he added.
Asked if the hurling of shoes, dustbin and earphone at the Speaker is justified, Mishra said there was no alternative. “After all, we are all human beings and we have the emotions. When you feel that your legitimate rights are curtailed, you will obviously react,” he pointed out.
The leader of the Congress Legislature Party, Narasingha Mishra, who met the agitating BJP members at the dharna site earlier in the day, came down heavily on the state government for its undemocratic activities. “I strongly condemn the manner in which the state government passed the bills in the house yesterday without allowing the opposition members to participate in the discussion. This is grossly undemocratic and unconstitutional,” he said.
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