Bhubaneswar: Members of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday staged a noisy walkout in the Odisha Assembly, demanding a statement from Speaker Surama Padhy on the alleged assault on suspended Congress MLAs by the security staff last night.
The Congress MLAs had alleged that they were beaten up while being forcibly evicted from the Assembly premises around 2 am. They had then spent the night on the street near the party’s office.
Meanwhile, two Congress MLAs Tara Prasad Bahinipati and Ramesh Jena, who were spared the suspension heat, continued to disrupt proceedings by beating gongs near the Speaker’s podium, demanding formation of a house committee to investigate crimes against women during the eight-month rule of the BJP in the state.
Following which, the Speaker suspended them for 7 days for unruly behaviour.
With this, all 14 MLAs of the Congress have been suspended from the House, which has been witnessing Pandemonium since March 7.
Earlier in the day, 12 suspended Congress MLAs, who were barred from attending Assembly for 7 days, engaged in a heated scuffle with security personnel after being stopped from entering the premises. They were accompanied by scores of party workers, beating gongs. Congress MP Saptagiri Ulaka and Congress MLA Pabitra Saunta were also picked up by police from the assembly gate while protesting.
Police only allowed Tara Prasad Bahinipati and Ramesh Jena to enter the premises.
Also Read: ‘Denied Toilet Access, Manhandled’: High Drama In Odisha Assembly & Outside
Other senior Congress leaders also continued their sit-in protest outside the party’s office, protesting against the suspension of 12 party MLAs from the Legislative Assembly. “Our MLAs had been demanding answers from the CM on atrocities against women in the state. 12 MLAs were suspended from the Assembly only because they raised this issue. This is the murder of democracy. We will fight strongly. The CM will have to answer this,” Odisha Congress in-charge Ajay Kumar Lallu told the media.
