Bhubaneswar: Pandemonium continued to prevail in the State Legislative Assembly for the third consecutive day of ongoing second phase Budget Session today as opposition Congress and BJD members created ruckus in the well of the House over the misuse of ED and Ganjam Hooch tragedy issues.
While Congress raised the misuse of central agencies like ED and CBI, BJD demanded resignation of Excise Minister Prathivraj Harichandan over the Chikiti Hooch tragedy, which has claimed two lives so far.
As soon as the House assembled for the day at 10.30 AM, the opposition Congress and BJD members rose from their seats and rushed to the well of the House raising slogans on their issues.
Both Congress and BJD members shouted slogans and disrupted the question hour, prompting Speaker Surama Padhy to adjourn the house until 11:30 AM.
When the Assembly reconvened at 11:30 AM, the opposition members again rushed to the well of the House and continued shouting slogans in support of their demands. As the situation remained unchanged, the Speaker adjourned the session for 15 minutes until 11:45 AM. Later, the House was adjourned till 4 PM.
Though Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling requested the opposition members to return to their seats and cooperate with the business of the House, stating that the government is willing to discuss the issues raised by them, no one listened to him.
During the past two days too, the Assembly witnessed ruckus as the opposition Congress and BJD members disrupted the business over their specific demands.
“The BJP government which came to power gave a call to regulate liquor trade,” said opposition Chief Whip Pramila Mallik of BJD. The BJD held the BJP government responsible for the death of the two people in the liquor tragedy in Ganjam.
Senior Congress member Taraprasad Bahinipati, however, blamed both the BJD and the BJP for the wide circulation of the spurious liquor in Ganjam district.