Bhubaneswar, Mar 21 (UNI) Wearing black attire and beating cymbals and trumpets, Opposition Congress members on Friday staged a novel protest inside the well of the Odisha Assembly, demanding the formation of a House committee to probe the rising crimes against women in the state.
The Opposition BJD also joined the protest but for a different reason, accusing the government of not sharing videos of Opposition activities inside the House with the electronic media.
The ruckus created by the Opposition forced Speaker Surama Padhy to adjourn the House barely two minutes after it convened for the day at 10:30 AM, postponing proceedings until 11:30 AM.
There was no change in the situation when the house reconvened at 1130 hours after the adjournment forcing the Speaker to adjourn it for another 30 minutes at 1131 hours until 1201 and convene an all party meeting in her chamber to resolve the impasse in the house.
The trouble began when the House met at 10:30 AM to take up Question Hour. Both Congress and BJD members stormed into the well of the House, raising slogans to disrupt the session.
Congress members, dressed in black and wearing black headbands, began beating cymbals and playing trumpets near the Speaker's podium. Meanwhile, BJD members also trooped into the well of the House, shouting slogans against the government for allegedly denying electronic media access to footage of Opposition activities inside the Assembly.
Amid the chaos, Speaker Surama Padhy asked School and Mass Education Minister Niyananda Gond to respond to a question. However, his voice was drowned out by the uproar as Opposition members intensified their protest.
Unable to restore order, the Speaker adjourned the House at 10:32 AM until 11:30 AM.
Following the adjournment, Congress members continued their protest outside, marching around the Assembly premises while beating cymbals and playing trumpets to demand the formation of a House committee to investigate the rising atrocities against women in the state.
The Congress members stated that they would persist with their protests inside the House until the government agreed to their demand for a House committee on crimes against women.
On Thursday, agitated Congress members also disrupted Question Hour by blowing whistles inside the well of the House, forcing the Speaker to adjourn proceedings at 10:46 AM until 12 PM. When the House reconvened at noon, Congress members staged a noisy walkout in support of their demand.
However, the post-lunch session on Thursday also witnessed chaos, as Opposition BJD members protested against restrictions imposed on electronic media, preventing them from recording Assembly proceedings during Question Hour (10:30 AM to 11:30 AM).
Deputy Speaker Bhavani Shankar Bhoi, who was presiding over the session, was forced to adjourn the House twice—first for 10 minutes and then for another 15 minutes—following protests from BJD members.
The second phase of the Odisha Assembly's Budget session, which commenced on March 7, has been witnessing continuous disruptions for the past ten days, with both BJD and Congress members stalling proceedings over various issues, primarily during pre-lunch sessions.
UNI DP KK