BJD MLAs sprinkle Ganga Jal to purify Assembly after police entry

Bhubaneswar

Opposition BJD legislators on Thursday sprinkled ‘Ganga Jal’ inside the Odisha Assembly, claiming the House was spiritually polluted after police entered its premises.

On Tuesday night, police had forcibly evicted protesting Congress MLAs from the Well of the House. The Congress members were demanding a House Committee to investigate crimes against women under the BJP-led government.

Led by opposition chief whip Pramila Mallik, BJD lawmakers used earthen pots and mango leaves to sprinkle ‘Ganga Jal’ in different corners of the Assembly. Former minister Arun Kumar Sahoo stated, The Assembly needed purification as the Speaker allowed police inside.

Speaker Surama Padhy criticized the act, calling it unacceptable. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari dismissed the claims, stating, The Assembly is always sacred.

BJD members accused the Speaker of permitting police entry, leading to a scuffle between officers and Congress MLAs at the Assembly gates. Sahoo condemned the incident, saying, Police had never entered before. Congress MLAs were forcefully evicted and left on the streets at midnight.

The opposition further alleged that on Wednesday, police prevented them from exiting the Assembly by closing the main gate.

Assembly records show that in December 2021, BJP and Congress members also used ‘Ganga Jal’ and cow dung water to purify the House in protest against a woman teacher’s murder in Kalahandi district.