Proceedings of the Odisha assembly were disrupted for the third day in a row on Wednesday as ruckus continued over the Opposition’s demand for action against Governor Raghubar Das’s son for allegedly assaulting a government official earlier this month.
Amid the outbreak of pandemonium, Speaker Surama Padhy first adjourned the House till 11.30 am, then till 12 noon, and subsequently till 4 pm. To broker a truce for the resumption of normal proceedings of the House, Padhy has convened an all-party meeting.
The BJD members questioned the BJP’s commitment to Odia Asmita once again calling it hollow as the party failed to protect and render justice to the victim government employee who had been assaulted by the son of the governor. The Assistant Section Officer (ASO) Baikuntha Pradhan was allegedly assaulted by the governor’s son Lalit Kumar inside the Puri Raj Bhavan on 7 July.
Noisy scenes were witnessed as soon as the House assembled for the Question Hour as the BJD leaders staged a walkout in protest against police inaction over the issue.
The ruckus intensified with the Congress lawmakers trooping in the well of the House in protest against the willful neglect towards Odisha in the Union Budget.
The alleged assault case and the purported involvement of the Governor’s son Lalit Kumar (a native of neighbouring Jharkhand) has provided the Opposition mainly BJD shot in the arm for the regional party to hit out at the maiden BJP Government in the State.
The Opposition stepped up its demand for the arrest of Kumat (the Governor’s son) from the first day of the budget session while leveling accusations against the new government for shielding the high-profile accused. They demanded a statement from Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who is also in charge of the Home Department. However, Majhi has yet to come out with a statement on the contentious issue.
Both the BJD and Congress had earlier boycotted the governor’s address to the House on the first day of the assembly session on Monday.
Meanwhile, the police are sitting over the police complaint doing precious little to book the accused at the behest of the State Government.
Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan’s statement on Tuesday that Puri Collector is conducting a probe and would submit a report within a fortnight has added a further twist to the incident as the BJD questioned the propriety of inquiry by the collector into a criminal case. It’s the police’s duty to render justice to the victim officer. The collector has nothing to do with it, the BJD contended.