Chaos in Odisha Assembly, two Congress MLAs suspended

Bhubaneswar

The Odisha Assembly witnessed chaos on Wednesday, leading to multiple adjournments as Speaker Surama Padhy suspended two more Congress MLAs for indiscipline. With this, all 14 Congress legislators faced suspension for seven days.

As the session began, BJD members walked out, demanding reservations for ST, SC, and OBCs in education and jobs. Meanwhile, Congress MLAs Taraprasad Bahinipati and Ramesh Jena protested the previous day's suspension of 12 colleagues by beating gongs and demanding a House Committee to probe rising crimes against women. Their actions led to their suspension through a voice vote.

Following this, BJD MLAs rejoined the House after paying tribute to B.R. Ambedkar but demanded a Speaker’s statement on the alleged mistreatment of suspended Congress MLAs who staged an overnight protest. Unable to restore order, the Speaker adjourned the session and called for an all-party meeting.

During Zero Hour, BJD deputy leader Prasanna Acharya raised concerns about security personnel allegedly manhandling Congress MLAs during their eviction at 2 a.m. Meanwhile, senior BJD leader Pramila Mallik accused the Speaker of ignoring their demand for an OBC reservation discussion. BJP MLA Padma Lochan Panda criticized the suspensions, urging an all-party resolution for smooth proceedings. Despite Treasury members defending the Speaker’s actions, tensions persisted, disrupting the House.