Odisha Vidhan Parishad Issue: Speaker S N Patro Urges Rijiju To Order Inquiry Into Misinformation In RS

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Assembly Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro on Tuesday requested Union Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju to order a departmental inquiry into how officers in his ministry gave him incorrect information about Odisha’s proposal to set up a Vidhan Parishad.

Patro told Odisha Bytes: “I have written to Rijiju, mentioning that the Odisha Assembly on September 18, 2018, adopted a resolution for creating a Legislative Council in the state and the same was communicated to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, Union Parliamentary Affairs Ministry and Union Law and Justice Ministry.”

The OLA secretary has written to Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, Union Parliamentary Affairs and Union Law and Justice ministries, detailing the state government’s letter sent on September 18, 2018, he added.

In his letter, Patro said he has told Rijiju that most probably officers in his ministry did not brief him properly, which resulted in he telling Rajya Sabha that his ministry was not aware about Odisha’s proposal. ” I have suggested that he order a departmental inquiry to fix responsibility,” Patro said.

The Odisha Speaker had last week expressed shock after the Union Minister told the Rajya Sabha that as per records, no resolution had been received to create Legislative Council in Odisha. Rijiju stated this while giving a written reply to a question from BJD MP Prasanna Acharya.

Patro said the Assembly resolution on establishment of the Legislative Council was sent to the Centre in 2018 with a request to pass a resolution on the matter.

The Assembly’s resolution was also submitted to LS, RS and the ministries concerned, he added.