The State Assembly witnessed adjournments and couldn’t conduct businesses in morning hours on the first day of its second phase of the Budget Session on Wednesday as Congress members protested parking of Rs 545 crore belonging to the Jagannath Temple, Puri in the private Yes Bank.
Soon after Obituary references, Congress members raised the issue and wanted to know why a fund of Rs 545 crore of Lord Jagannath was parked as Fixed Deposit in the Yes Bank, which has weakened financially. As Speaker called for holding the Question Hour discussion, Tara Prasad Bahinipati, Suresh Routray and other Congress MLAs trooped into the Well of the House and kept shouting slogans like “Jagannathnka Paisa Khaila Kie”. Unable to run the proceedings of the House, Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro adjourned the House at 10.41 am till 12.30 pm and again till 3 pm.
However, the House functioned normally during afternoon houses.
Raising the issue again, Congress member Santosh Singh Saluja demanded that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik make a statement regarding safety of the Lord Jagannath’s fund. He said people feel insecurity when the Lords’ money is unsafe. He alleged that a Government officer had gone on a tour to Switzerland by taking advantage of the deposit in the private bank. Leader of Opposition (BJP) Pradipta Naik termed that the deposit as a sensitive issue and demanded that criminal action against officials who deposited the money in the private bank (Yes Bank) in violation of Shree Jagannath Temple Act and Government norms.