Odisha Assembly adjourned till 1600 hrs over speaker’s refusal to allow adjournment motion on Mining scam
Bhubaneswar : The rejection of an adjournment notice by opposition Congress on mining scam by Speaker S N Patro caused uproar in Odisha Assembly today.
The house could not transact any business in the pre lunch session as the Speaker adjourned the assembly twice till 1600 hours as the peeved Congress and BJP members rushed into the well of the house protesting the Speaker’s refusal to allow the adjournment motion.
An agitated opposition members trooped into the well of the house as soon as the Cooperation Minister R P Swain stood up to replying to a question
Soon the BJP members joined the slogan shouting Congress members in protest against the Speaker’s decision.
Realising that the business of the house could no longer be conducted smoothly the Speaker immediately adjourned the house at 1031 hrs just a minute after the house assembled for the day till 1130 hrs.
When the house reassembled at 1130 after the adjournment, the opposition members gheraoed the Speaker in his chamber and did not allow him to come to the house to conduct the business .
Opposition Chief Whip Mohan Majhi and Congress member Santosh Singh Saluja told media persons that they were forced to gherao the Speaker for not allowing a discussion on the mining scam in the house.
Both Mr Majhi and Mr Saluja alleged that during the last Assembly session also the Speaker had rejected their demand for a discussion on the mining scam in the state.
Mr Majhi said ‘’we will not allow the Speaker to come out of his chamber till he agreed for a discussion on the issue.
The Opposition members alleged that the government was deeply involved in the mining scam and so avoiding a discussion on the issue.
As the Speaker could not make it to the house after the first adjournment Deputy Speaker R K Singh adjourned the house till 1600hrs.
Mr Pratap Deo (BJD) said the conduct of the Members of the BJP and the Congress was condemnable.
Later the Speaker said the Congress members led by party Legislature Party leader Narasingha Mishra and the BJP members had come to his chamber to inquire about the reason for rejecting the adjournment notice .
Mr.Patro said he had told them to raise the issue during the zero hour and he would give his ruling..
Due to the uproar in the house ,the question hour business was today washed out and the house failed up to take up any other business during the pre lunch session.
