Bhubaneswar: Opposition BJD MLAs today sprinkled Ganga Jal in the Assembly to purify the building before attending the proceedings of the day today.
The BJD Lawmakers alleged that the House had been spiritually polluted by the entry of policemen to evict the Suspended Congress MLAs from the House.
The suspended Congress members were staging a protest in the Assembly demanding a House Committee to probe crimes against women committed after the BJP came to power in the State last year.
Led by opposition Chief Whip Pramila Mallik, the BJD lawmakers were seen sprinkling ‘Ganga Jal’ from earthen pots with mango leaves in every nook and corner of the House.
Seeing the unusual sight, the Speaker Surama Padhy requested the BJD leaders not to enter the Assembly with the Kalash (pot of Ganga water).
“We sprinkled Ganga Jal to purify the assembly. It has been polluted as the Speaker allowed the police to enter the Well of the House,” BJD MLA Arun Kumar Sahoo said.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said, “There is no need to purify this august House as it has always been pure and sacred.”
The BJD members alleged that the Speaker had allowed the police to enter the Well of the House on Tuesday night and the law enforcers used force to evict the protesting Congress MLAs.
“The police had never entered the Assembly before. They forcibly evicted the Congress MLAs. We also witnessed a scuffle between police and MLAs at the gates of the Assembly. This incident has brought shame to Odisha,” Shri Sahoo said, adding that the Congress MLAs were left in the streets in the middle of the night.
The Opposition members also alleged that the police had prevented them from going outside the assembly premises on Wednesday.