Bhubaneswar: On Monday, Odisha Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy turned down the Opposition Congress’s notice for a ‘no-confidence motion’ against the BJP government, which has been in power for 15 months. Padhy stated that the motion could not be considered due to ongoing disruptions in the House over the past three days. The Congress contended that the rejection lacked a valid rationale and initiated a ‘dharna’ on the Assembly grounds. The notice was submitted to the Assembly Secretary on September 18, and Padhy had requested it be brought up for discussion the following day. However, it was not addressed due to persistent chaos in the Assembly.
The Congress Legislature Party, holding 14 members, submitted the no-confidence motion with the signatures of 15 MLAs, which included one from the CPI (M). They also sought support from the BJD for the motion, citing numerous failures of the BJP government, including issues related to law and order, rising crime against women, farmers’ difficulties, and unemployment. The Congress also issued a whip for its MLAs to be present in the House, anticipating the Speaker might approve the motion. In response to the Speaker’s ruling, Congress MLAs entered the well of the House, chanting slogans against the BJD and BJP, before staging a walkout. Subsequently, they protested near the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Assembly premises.
Government Chief Whip Saroj Pradhan approached the protesters, urging them to return to the House and engage in proceedings, but they remained seated despite the rain. Congress Legislature Party leader Rama Chandra Kadam expressed to reporters, “There is no democracy here. The Speaker rejected our notice for no valid reason. The justification for rejecting the notice is not valid.” Congress MLA Sofia Firdous added, “We submitted the notice in accordance with the Assembly Rules and Procedure. There was no valid reason for its rejection.
With the notice now rejected, BJD members are participating in the proceedings, indicating a collusion between BJD and BJP.” The Odisha Assembly consists of 147 members: 78 from the BJP, 50 from BJD, 14 from Congress, three Independents, and one from CPI(M). One seat is vacant due to the death of BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia from Nuapada. The opening day of the current monsoon session on Thursday was adjourned after tributes to Dholakia and six other former members, while the following two days were marked by uproar as the BJD protested over a fertilizer crisis in the State.
On Monday, the proceedings were adjourned until 4 pm due to disturbances created by the BJD, which was demanding a rollback of the government’s decision that reduced the powers of panchayat functionaries.
