Odisha MLA falls ill trying to climb Speaker’s podium in Assembly

Senior Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati on Saturday suddenly fell ill while attempting to climb the Speaker’s podium in Odisha assembly during a protest over an alleged farmer’s suicide case in Bolangir district.

Another legislator, who is a doctor by profession, checked his condition and said that he is out of danger. Bahinipati, who recently recovered from Covid-19, was sent home where also doctors visited him.

The incident took place in the afternoon session when the House was passing the Odisha University of Technology and Research Bill, 2021. The Bill was, however, passed along with two other Bills like the Odisha Appropriation Acts (Repeal) Bill, 2021 and the Odisha Town Planning and Improvement Trust (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

When the House started the process of passing the Bills, Congress Legislature Party Leader Narasingha Mishra demanded a ruling from Speaker S N Patro to constitute a House Committee to probe into the alleged suicide of farmer Rochak Banchhor of Koda village under Tureikela block of Bolangir district.

Banchhor allegedly died by suicide by consuming poison on Thursday. His family members said that he killed himself over crop loss due to lack of rainfall.

Though Mishra raised the issue and demanded setting up up a House Committee, Patro went ahead with the process of the passage of Bills.

Irate over the Speaker’s "inaction and no response" to the CLP leader’s demand, the party MLAs led by Bahinipati, the MLA of Jeypore in Koraput district, rushed to well of the House and staged protests.

After finding that the Speaker continued his work, Bahinipati with help of a chair attempted to climb the podium. However, he fell down and started suffering from a breathing problem.

Speaker Patro asked the Parliamentary Affairs Minister B K Arukha to take care of Bahinipati. Patro also said that a doctor be called immediately to check the health condition of the ill MLA. Other Congress MLAs along with the Parliamentary Affairs Minister carried Bahinipati to the lobby.

Before arrival of the doctor, another Congress MLA C S Rajeen Ekka who is also a doctor by profession checked Bahinipati's condition and said that he is out of danger, but needs treatment by a cardiologist. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister then accompanied Bahinipati to his official residence.

Two days ago the Speaker had cautioned Bahinipati against climbing the podium to stage protest as the legislator recently recovered from Covid-19.

Meanwhile, Annoyed over the Speaker’s silence on the farmer’s suicide case, Congress MLAs walked out of the House.

Earlier, the BJP members had also staged a walk-out in protest against the alleged irregularities in the housing schemes.

The saffron party members led by BJP chief whip Mohan Majhi demanded a probe into the irregularities in the Housing schemes and alleged that there has been a scam of at least Rs 1,000 crore.

“The actual beneficiaries and needy people are denied the housing units while many middle class and rich people have taken the benefit from the scheme. There are instances of one family getting more than two housing units,” Majhi said while leading the walkout.

He said a central team has recently conducted an audit of the Housing scheme in Odisha and found a lot of irregularities.

The BJP MLAs later staged a sit-in dharna near Mahatma Gandhi statue inside the Assembly premises demanding justice. They did not return to the House and refrained from participating in the afternoon session.

Government Chief Whip, Pramila Mallick, said that the allegations are untrue. The people in western Odisha could not get the benefit because the central government closed the portal where beneficiaries names were being registered.

In absence of BJP and Congress members, the House passed three Bills.