Bhubaneswar: A violent protest by Opposition Congress and BJD members near the Odisha Assembly gate on Wednesday turned into a fierce battleground.
Agitated Congress members and activists broke barricades in an attempt to enter the Assembly, to protest the suspension of 12 party MLAs on Tuesday, while BJD members, following a noisy walkout,in the Assembly during the question hour on Wednesday, also broke barricades to move out of the Assembly premises.
After a chaotic protest, two Congress MLAs, Tara Prasad Bahinipati and Ramesh Jena, who were not suspended by Speaker Surama Padhy on Tuesday, were allowed to enter the Assembly.
Both Bahinipati and Jena marched to the Assembly while beating cymbals and attempted to disrupt the Question Hour. They climbed onto the Reporter’s table and continued playing the cymbals.
The Speaker warned the two Congress MLAs to refrain from beating the cymbals inside the well of the House and urged them to maintain decorum. She later named the two MLAs for their unruly behavior.
However, despite repeated warnings, both Bahinipati and Jena continued their protest inside the well, forcing the Speaker to suspend them for seven working days. The suspension motion, moved by Government Chief Whip Saroj Kumar Pradhan, was adopted, and the Speaker formally announced their suspension.
Despite being suspended, Bahinipati and Jena refused to leave the House and continued playing cymbals inside the well in protest against their suspension.
With the suspension of these two Congress MLAs on Wednesday, all 14 Congress MLAs have now been suspended from the House for seven working days.
Amid the Congress protest outside the Assembly, the House convened at 10:30 AM to take up the Question Hour.
BJD Chief Whip Pramila Mallik, rising on a point of order, sought a statement from the Speaker regarding the alleged assault of suspended Congress MLAs by Assembly security staff inside the well of the House on Tuesday night.
Subsequently, all BJD MLAs staged a noisy walkout, demanding a statement from the Speaker.
Holding placards, the BJD MLAs proceeded out of the House, breaking the barricades, and marched in a procession to the Ambedkar statue near AG Square, demanding 27 percent reservation for OBCs in education and jobs.
Meanwhile, Congress MP from Odisha, Saptagiri Ulka, also reached the Assembly gate and attempted to enter the premises. However, he was denied entry by the police. In protest, Ulka sat on a dharna near the gate and threatened to raise the issue in Parliament, demanding action against the police officers who prevented his entry into the Odisha Assembly.
DCP of Commissionerate Police, Jagmohan Meena, stated that several Congress leaders and activists had been detained for breaking three barricades in an attempt to enter the Odisha Assembly, violating Section 163 of the BNS.
Meena added that the situation is now under control after all Congress leaders and activists were taken into preventive custody.
