Bhubaneswar: The prevailing political atmosphere in the State has hots up with continuous strong fight between the ruling BJD and principal Opposition party BJP for the past several days.
The face-off between the BJP and BJD has turned ugly following the murder of Minister Naba Kishore Das on January 29. Since then, the BJP and BJD are continuously attacking each other inside the Assembly, in the streets and also in the social media.
On Wednesday, the two parties engaged in a war of words over the clash erupted yesterday between activists of BJYM, the youth wing of BJP, and police force during a protest rally over the Minister’s murder case.
Several police officials and BJP workers were injured in the clash. Later, the police arrested 22 BJP youth wing workers including the State BJYM President Irasish Acharya.
Though the BJP has filed a complaint in the capital police station against the police officials, no case has been registered.
The Opposition BJP members today created a ruckus in Assembly in protest against the ‘police excesses’ on the BJP youth wing workers.
As soon as the House assembled for the day at 10.30 AM, the BJP members, carrying posters and newspapers, rushed into the well and raised slogans against the police action on BJP youth wing workers. The BJP legislators demanded action against the police officials and a debate on the issue.
Speaker Bikram Keshari Arukha first adjourned the House till 11.30 AM. When the situation remained the same after the adjournment, the Speaker called an all-party meeting adjourning the proceedings for 15 minutes, which was extended for another 5 minutes.
Later, the BJP members again stalled the House when Treasury Bench member Arun Sahoo blamed the BJP leader for yesterday’s violence.
Condemning the alleged police excesses during the BJP rally, Leader of Opposition Jayanarayan Mishra (BJP) wanted to know as to who were the people in black and white shirts who brutally attacked the BJP Yuva Morcha activists.
Shri Mishra also alleged that protest treatment was not given to the injured BJP workers in Capital Hospital. Even, they were not allowed to meet the injured workers, the BJP leader alleged.
Police have refused to lodge an FIR on the basis of a complaint filed by the BJP while the BJP workers have been booked under different sections of the IPC, including 307 (attempt to murder), he said.
“The Chief Minister often says that law will take its own course. But, in this case, I want to say that the law is not taking its course,” the Leader of Opposition said.
Speaking to media persons outside the Assembly, BJP Chief Whip Mohan Majhi alleged that the party’s youth activists were beaten up by the police in a “planned way”. “Goons of the ruling BJD joined the police in attacking BJP activists,” he alleged.
“We raised the issue in the assembly. We want the home minister to give a clarification on what happened yesterday,” Majhi said.
Reacting to this, BJD MLA Arun Sahoo said the BJP was trying to do politics over the unfortunate death of a person. Sahoo alleged that the BJP workers have brought stones, knives and bombs to the protest site. The youth BJP workers have been misguided, Sahoo said.
Meanwhile, Congress Legislature Party Leader Narasingha Mishra has moved breach of privilege notice against Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Minister of State for Home, Tusharkanti Behera.
Mishra alleged that the MoS has misled the House over the appointment of retired Orissa high court judge justice J.P. Das for monitoring Naba Das murder case. Mishra said that the appointment was not made on a judicial order.
“The CM though the MoS has intentionally misled the House to escape from the criticism of the Opposition. The facts stated in the answer are not true,” the Congress leader said in his notice to the Speaker.
The Supreme Court had passed a judicial order constituting the SIT and appointing Justice (Retd.) Rakesh Kumar Jain. In the present case (Naba Das murder case), the order has been passed from the administrative side, he said.
The Congress leader said the CM and the MoS have committed breach of privilege for which they are liable to be punished.
Reacting to this, BJD leader Arun Sahoo said the Congress MLA Shri Mishra should seek apology as he has disrespected the order of Chief Justice of Orissa High Court.
The appointment of the retired judge was made as per the order of the chief justice. So, as a law-abiding citizen, he (Mishra) should nor disrespect it, the BJD leader stated.
