26-Mar-2025 04:48 PM
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Bhubaneswar, Mar 26 (Reporter) Amid high drama both inside and outside the Odisha Assembly, the house was adjourned multiple times on Wednesday, from 12:07 PM to 4:00 PM.
Speaker Surama Padhy convened an all-party meeting, excluding the Congress, as all 14 of its members had been suspended from the house for seven working days. The meeting was aimed at resolving the stalemate but remained inconclusive, prompting the Speaker to adjourn the House until 4 PM.
As the House assembled for the day, BJD members staged a noisy walkout, demanding a statement from Speaker Surama Padhy regarding the alleged assault on Congress members by security staff inside the well of the House.
Meanwhile, Congress members staged a dharna inside the well of the house and refused to leave, despite the Speaker announcing their suspension for seven working days due to their unruly behavior and disruption of house proceedings.
Despite the absence of Opposition Congress and BJD members, the house proceeded with the question hour.
Later, two Congress members, Tara Prasad Bahinipati and Ramesh Jena, entered the well, stood on the reporter’s table, and started beating cymbals in protest against the suspension of twelve of their fellow legislators by the Speaker on Tuesday.
The Speaker warned them against creating a disturbance and, after naming them for their unruly behavior, suspended them for seven working days. However, the two MLAs refused to leave and continued their protest inside the well of the House.
Amid their protest, the question hour concluded, and the BJD members, who had earlier walked out, re-entered the house to participate in the Zero Hour session.
Raising point of order, BJD Deputy Leader Prasanna Acharya, Chief Whip Pramila Mallik, and senior leaders Ranendra Pratap Swain and Arun Sahu expressed disapproval of the Speaker’s decision to suspend Congress members for seven days. They also insisted that the Speaker issue a statement regarding the alleged assault on the suspended Congress MLAs by Assembly security staff.
Following this, BJD members again walked out, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the house at 12:07 PM for 30 minutes and convene an all-party meeting to resolve the deadlock.
However, as the meeting remained inconclusive, the house was adjourned multiple times and finally until 4 PM by the Speaker...////...