Odisha BJP Demands Lottery System For Listing Questions In Assembly

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly on Monday was adjourned till 11.30 am following the uproar by Opposition BJP members over the non-execution of the lottery system for the members to place their questions.

As soon as the House session began, Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro ordered the question-hour. However, BJP MLAs led by the Leader of the Opposition, Pradipta Naik, and the chief Whip of Opposition, Mohan Majhi, rushed to the well of House to demand the lottery system for the members to put their questions.

Unable to run the business, the Speaker adjourned the House.

Briefing the media later, Majhi said neither the Speaker nor the Assembly secretary are executing the lottery system and listing the questions for the ministers. “We will not allow the Speaker to run the House until he gives a ruling to this effect,” he added.

In his reaction, leader of the Congress Legislature Party, Narasingha Mishra, said it is not the duty of the Assembly secretary or any other official to decide the questions to be placed by the members. “As per rules, the questions will be selected through a lottery system and the member concerned, who will raise the question, has to remain present in the House. But if this procedure is not carried through the lottery system, then it is a matter of grave concern,” he pointed out.

After the adjournment, the Speaker convened an all-party meeting. He clarified that before the commencement of the question-hour session, the members are informed about the listing of questions through the lottery system. It is carried out in the presence of any one MLA present in the House. In the absence of a member, the lottery is done in the presence of the Assembly secretary.

He assured the MLAs that henceforth, they will be informed about the lottery system through SMS.

Following the Speaker’s assurance, normalcy was restored in the House.