August 24th 2024.
In Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha, a recent incident in the Assembly has caused quite a stir. On Friday, two opposition BJD MLAs, Romancha Ranjan Biswal and Madhab Dhada, were accused of disrespecting Speaker Surama Padhy during a protest in the House. As a result, a censure motion was brought against them by Government Chief Whip Saroj Pradhan on Saturday.
The motion was in response to the BJD's protest in light of the Ganjam liquor death incident. The party demanded the resignation of Excise Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan. During the protest, the two accused MLAs, with the help of other members, attempted to climb onto the Speaker's podium. This act was deemed disrespectful by Pradhan, who claimed that the MLAs even sat on the Speaker's desk while wearing sandals, which he believed was a clear sign of disrespect towards a woman Speaker.
Amidst the chaos and slogan-raising by opposition BJD and Congress members against the BJP government's policies, the motion was passed by a voice vote. However, the opposition parties were quick to dismiss the allegations made by the ruling party, accusing them of trying to divert attention from the main issue at hand.
They pointed out previous incidents where BJP members had thrown dal at the state's first woman Speaker during the previous government's tenure. This raised questions about the credibility of the BJP's accusations, as both Chief Minister Mohan Majhi and Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling had not denied these past allegations.
One BJD lawmaker, Ganeswar Behera, condemned the BJP's attempts to shift focus from the serious issue of spurious liquor deaths. He clarified that the BJD members were protesting against these deaths and seeking a ruling from the chair. The issue was a grave one, and the protest was not meant to target any individual or the Speaker, but rather to bring attention to the government's actions.
The situation in the Assembly remains tense as both parties continue to stand their ground. However, it is clear that the BJD's protest was meant to address a pressing issue and not to disrespect the Speaker or the government. The censure motion may have been passed, but the underlying issue still needs to be addressed and resolved.
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