Bhubaneswar: The opposition BJP and Congress members has created ruckus and stalled the Odisha Assembly work on the second day of the Winter Session over school teacher Mamita Meher murder case. Speaker S. N. Patro had to adjourn the house till 1600hrs without transacting any business due to slogans and shouting of opposition leaders.
As soon as the house assembled at 1030hrs to take up the question hours, the BJP members carrying posters and shouting slogans, rushed to the well and demanded sacking of Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra for his involvement in the Mamita Meher murder case.
They also demanded a CBI into the case and urged the Speaker not to allow the minister to participate in the proceedings of the house. Soon the Congress members also carrying posters followed suit and shouted slogans demanding the removal from the council of Ministers and a court-monitored SIT probe into the Mamita Meher murder case.
The house plunged into a chaotic situation and the Speaker realizing the gravity of the situation that the house could not be conducted smoothly, adjourned it till 1600hrs.
The question hour and other business of the house scheduled for the pre-lunch session could not be taken up due to the protest and adjournment.
The Congress members on Wednesday sat on a dharna at the entrance of two gates of the state Assembly and locked the third one demanding the government to concede to their demand before the commencement of the state Assembly. The Congress members resorted to dharna in a bid to prevent Mr Mishra from entering the Assembly.
Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati alleged that Dibya Shankar Mishra is involved in the murder case and they do not want the sanctity of the holy state Assembly to be sullied. In the post-lunch session on Wednesday, both BJP and the Congress members created pandemonium in the house while Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari was presenting the first supplementary budget for 2021-22 at 1700hrs and then the Speaker adjourned the house till 1030hrs today.
To counter the Opposition attack, the ruling BJD MLAs today sat on a dharna in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue inside the Assembly premises protesting against the hike in prices of essential commodities, oil and cooking gas.
The BJD MLAs had marched in a rally to Governor’s house on Wednesday and sat on a dharna in front of the Governor’s house alleging central negligence in the allotment of houses to the poor people of the state under PMAY.
Mamita Meher, a school teacher of Sunshine English Medium school of Mahaling in Kalahandi district was brutally murdered by the School Management President Gobind Sahu on October 8 last after she threatened to expose his extramarital affairs and sexual escapades.
Opposition BJP and Congress alleged that Mr Mishra has close links with the prime accused and was involved in the murder.
Both the opposition parties have been resorting to agitations, dharna and protest meetings across the state for over a month demanding the arrest and sacking of the Minister.
