Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), March 26: The Odisha Assembly witnessed high drama on Wednesday as Biju Janata Dal (BJD) legislators staged a noisy walkout, demanding a statement from Speaker Surama Padhy regarding the alleged assault on suspended Congress MLAs by security personnel the previous night.
The controversy erupted after Congress MLAs claimed they were forcibly evicted from the Assembly premises around 2 am and physically assaulted. Left with no option, they spent the night outside near the Congress party office.
The matter escalated further when two Congress MLAs, Tara Prasad Bahinipati and Ramesh Jena—who had not been suspended—disrupted Assembly proceedings by beating gongs near the Speaker’s podium, demanding the formation of a House Committee to probe crimes against women under the BJP’s eight-month rule. Their repeated disruptions led to their suspension for seven days.
With their suspension, all 14 Congress MLAs are now barred from the Assembly, which has been in turmoil since March 7. Earlier, the 12 already-suspended MLAs clashed with security personnel while attempting to re-enter the premises. They were accompanied by party workers protesting outside, leading to police action against Congress MP Saptagiri Ulaka and MLA Pabitra Saunta.
Odisha Congress in-charge Ajay Kumar Lallu condemned the suspensions, calling it a “murder of democracy” and vowing to continue protests until Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi responds.
