The Amofoi organisation here recently held a seminar on ‘Upper House is Illogical and Unethical: A Hindrance to Democracy’ where almost all the speakers urged the State Government to give up the proposal of formation of a legislative Council in the State and also suggested abolition of Article 169 of the Constitution.
“The ruling BJD did not mention about legislative Council in its manifesto during last year’s elections. Then on what morality it has initiated the process for a council now,” wondered Aama Odisha president Soumya Ranjan Patnaik.
Former Finance Minister Panchanan Kanungo questioned the intention of the Government for its Upper House move and said it would solve no purpose for the State except draining out public money on people awaiting political rehabilitation.
“During the Congress rule in the State two renowned personalities like Dr Manmath Nath Das and Justice Ranganath Misra were sent to the Rajya Sabha. But in last 14 years of the BJD rule not a single person of high reputation has been sent to the Upper House from Odisha” rued Kanungo. lawyer Surendranath Kar stated that when the State’s Assembly is not able to run for 60 days in a year, the move to have a legislative Council would solve no purpose.
Amofoi and Freethought Party of India secretary B Ramachandra CST Voltaire observed that the Rajya Sabha and legislative Council system should be abolished from the country and batted for adoption of the ‘proportionate representation’ system of Germany.
The seminar was organsied under the chairmanship of Adhaypak Biswaranjan. A book, Odisha Needs No legislative Council, both in English and Odia, was released at the seminar.