Odisha Assembly session kicks off with protests, dharna

Members of the Congress blocked an entrance, seeking justice for the family of a schoolteacher who was murdered and her bones recovered from the school

The Winter Session of Odisha Assembly began on a stormy note on Wednesday as legislators from the Congress staged a dharna at two entry points and locked another gate of the House in a protest over the Mamita Meher murder case.

They were demanding justice to the victim and the removal of Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra for his alleged close links with the prime accused in the case.

Prior to the beginning of the House proceedings, the Congress MLAs were holding placards demanding Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's reply, removal and arrest of minister Mishra and justice for Meher. Senior members, including Suresh Routray, Taraprasad Bahinipati, Santosh Singh Saluja and Mohammed Moquim, took part in the protest.

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"We are staging a dharna to ensure that the minister, who is involved in the Mamita Meher murder case, should not enter the sacred House. We will not allow the tainted minister to impure the sanctity of the sacred House," Bahinipati said.

After a while, the security staff broke the lock and opened the gate. However, there was no disturbance to the entry of ministers and members. The agitating MLAs later withdrew the dharna and participated in the House proceedings.

Similarly, the BJP members met Speaker SN Parto and urged him not to allow the minister into the House.

On the other hand, the ruling BJD members marched to Raj Bhawan on a rally alleging a "stepmotherly" attitude by the Centre towards Odisha on implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). The members also submitted a memorandum to the Governor in this regard.

"On the basis of a baseless and false complaint filed by BJP MPs, the rural development ministry has stopped the PMAY in some districts of Odisha. It is yet to sanction 15 lakh housing units, while funds are being sanctioned to the BJP-ruled states. So we are strongly protesting it," said BJD legislator Byomkesh Ray.

Meanwhile, the House proceedings started at 11 am with strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols. The chief minister attended the first day of the session through videoconference from his residence, while two members participated from the conference halls of the State Secretariat and another from the district headquarters.

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Leader of Opposition (BJP) PK Naik, who had attended the House from the AIIMS during the last session, did not participate in the proceedings on the first day. He is still under treatment.

The House paid tributes to former deputy speaker of the Assembly Prahalad Dora, former legislators Umesh Chandra Swain and Ramray Munda, ex-sepoy of Odisha police, Sitaram Murmu, and the Covid-19 warriors, who laid down their lives in public service. Minister Mishra was not seen on the floor till the House paid tribute to the above personalities.

After the obituary references, the House was adjourned till 5 pm. The first supplementary budget of the current financial year is slated to be tabled in the evening.

The session will continue till December 31. It will have a total of 26 working days, including five private members days.

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