The Odisha Assembly witnessed chaos again today as opposition members from BJD and Congress pressed for the resignation of Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling over the SCB Hospital fire incident.
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly remained paralysed amid chaos on Thursday as opposition BJD and Congress continued to demand the resignation of Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling over the fire incident at SCB Medical College and Hospital that claimed multiple lives.
Stepping up their attack on the BJP government over the tragic incident of Monday, members of Biju Janata Dal ( BJD) and Congress stuck to the demand of the Health Minister’s resignation, alleging negligence in safety standards at the premier hospital.
As the SCB hospital fire raised political heat in the state, the opposition continued to create uproarious scenes in the Assembly over the issue. Proceedings in the House were stalled amid repeated adjournments as opposition members created ruckus to press for the resignation of the Health Minister. BJD legislators warned that that the House will remain stalled until the Minister resigns.
Opposition leader Pramila Mallik accused the government of inaction, saying the Health Minister lacks ethics and should resign on moral ground.
Unable to conduct business, Speaker Surama Padhy adjourned the House multiple times – first till 11:30 am, then 1 pm, and later till 4 pm – in an attempt to restore order, but the uproar persisted.
An all-party meeting convened by her in a bid to restore normalcy in the House failed to yield any positive result.
Meanwhile, BJP legislators criticised the disruption, highlighting that the government had already suspended four officials and initiated an inquiry. They argued that discussions should focus on preventing future tragedies and strengthening hospital safety measures.
