Will Naveen Push For Vidhan Parishad In Odisha During Delhi Trip?

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik might take up the Vidhan Parishad issue while visiting Parliament to discuss ‘pending issues’ during his three-day visit to Delhi, starting Monday.

The CM is expected to reach Delhi around 3.30 pm and attend the BBC Sports Woman of the Year Award ceremony at the Taj Palace Hotel later in the evening.

On Tuesday, he will visit Parliament and hold a meeting with BJD MPs. He is also expected to spend time in the Central Hall to interact with leaders.

Also Read: Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik To Leave For Delhi Today Afternoon; Check His Itinerary

Notably, a procedural mistake by the state government has stalled the progress in formation of Vidhan Parishad in Odisha for which the Assembly had passed a resolution on September 6, 2018. Instead of submitting a proposal along with the resolution, the Parliamentary Affairs department had only forwarded the resolution by the Assembly secretariat to the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

This lapse came to the fore when Union Minister of Law Kiren Rijiju replying to a question of senior BJD MP Prasanna Acharya in the Rajya Sabha said that the Centre is yet to receive any proposal in this regard.

Also Read: Vidhan Parishad Issue: Centre Seeks Clarification From Odisha Govt

In a knee-jerk reaction, Odisha had then blamed the Centre for spreading misinformation. Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro also wrote to Rijiju, demanding an inquiry into the matter. The assembly secretariat also sent a reminder, along with the copy of the resolution, which it had initially sent on September 18, 2018.

Patro later told mediapersons that they had received a letter from the Centre, containing details about the procedure for the formation of the legislative council, and it had been sent to the Secretary of the Parliamentary Affairs department.

The resolution needs a nod from the Union cabinet following which both Houses of Parliament will have to pass a bill, which will become an act after the President’s assent.

The proposed legislative council in Odisha will have 49 members, one-third size of the assembly, and the state has to bear an additional financial burden of over Rs 35 crore annually towards salary and establishment expenses of members.

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