Tensions ran high in the Odisha Assembly on Tuesday as members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress engaged in a scuffle, leading to a seven-day suspension of senior Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati. The chaos erupted during Question Hour when BJP legislator Jaynarayan Mishra rushed towards Bahinipati, who was standing in front of Urban Development Minister K C Mohapatra. The minister was replying to a question amidst protests by the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress members.
Earlier, Bahinipati had attempted to climb the Speaker’s podium to stall proceedings but was unsuccessful, news agency PTI reported. Despite the uproar, Speaker Surama Padhy allowed Question Hour to continue. Bahinipati then approached Mohapatra, requesting him to stop speaking amid the disorder.
“Mishra caught hold of my shirt collar and pushed me. I was requesting Minister Mohapatra with folded hands to stop giving a reply when the House was not in order. But Mishra suddenly came up to me and caught hold of my collar,” Bahinipati told reporters outside the Assembly, as quoted by PTI.
Following this, BJP and Congress members engaged in a physical altercation, with treasury bench members rushing to the well of the House and raising anti-government slogans. Speaker Padhy adjourned the House multiple times, first till noon and then thrice more as the ruckus continued.
The opposition members were protesting over multiple issues. While the BJD members sought a statement from Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi over Mishra’s remark on the merger of erstwhile Koshala with Odisha in 1936 as a “historical mistake,” Congress MLAs raised concerns over the alleged increase in crimes against women in the state. Opposition members also climbed onto the reporters’ table and raised slogans.
When the House reconvened at 2 PM, several BJP MLAs, including Irashish Acharya, Babu Singh, Laxman Bag, and Upasana Mohapatra, demanded action against opposition members for repeatedly disrupting proceedings and disrespecting the woman Speaker. As the protests persisted, Speaker Padhy adjourned the House until 4 PM.
Both the BJD and BJP legislature parties held separate meetings to discuss their strategies. While Chief Minister Majhi was absent from the House, Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo presided over discussions regarding the scuffle. Meanwhile, Congress MLAs staged a sit-in near the Mahatma Gandhi statue within the Assembly premises.
BJD members, wearing black badges, symbolically searched for the Chief Minister using a lantern, accusing him of being absent for the past two days. They also staged a sit-in outside his chamber.
ALSO READ |
Congress, BJD Slam Speaker’s Handling Of Situation, Congress MLA Bahinipati Suspended For 7 Days
Congress MLA Sofia Firdous criticised the Speaker’s handling of the situation, stating, “For the first time, women members were panicked by the situation in the Assembly today. The Speaker should not have allowed proceedings to continue when the House was in turmoil. Our senior leader was heckled by BJP members.”
BJD MLA Arun Kumar Sahoo remarked, “We had never seen members of the opposition and treasury bench clashing in the well of the House. This has never happened in the history of the Odisha Assembly.”
BJP MLA Tankadhar Tripathy, however, defended the treasury bench members, stating, “The behaviour of opposition members in the Assembly was unacceptable. Opposition is part of democracy, but limits should be maintained. The BJD and Congress MLAs tried to break the microphone and took away files from the minister’s table. This is not acceptable in a democracy.” Tripathy also alleged that opposition members threw posters at the Speaker, demanding an apology from them.
Hours after the altercation, Speaker Padhy suspended senior Congress MLA Bahinipati for seven days over “misconduct and unruly behaviour.” The decision followed a notice moved by the government chief whip, which was accepted by the House.
Reacting to the suspension, Bahinipati staged a dharna in the well of the House, calling the Speaker’s action illegal. “I was assaulted by BJP members, but no action was taken against them. The Speaker is acting in a partisan manner,” he alleged.
Both the Congress and the BJD have condemned Bahinipati’s suspension.
