Though the ruling BJD has a huge majority in the State Assembly, the party is lacking in floor management strategy in the State Assembly. This was evident as the party failed to unite the Opposition even in the name of Biju Patnaik on Tuesday.
This was for the first time that the BJD’s want of vision united the three opposition parties on the issue of suspension of Congress member Naba Kishore Das’s alleged watching of obscene video in his mobile phone in the House on Monday. First, Speaker Niranjan Pujari ordered a probe by the Ethics Committee of the Assembly into Das’s conduct. However, this failed to satisfy the Treasury Bench whose members stood up to exert pressure on the Speaker for further action against Das.
Government Chief Whip Ananta Das moved a resolution for suspension of Das for seven days and the Speaker immediately allowed it. This gave an opportunity to the opposition parties to unite and protest the Speaker’s decision. They argued that Das should have been given a chance to keep his view in the House and the Speaker should have waited for the Ethics Committee’s findings. A united Opposition walked out of the House announcing that they would not return till Das was meted out justice.
The BJD floor managers could not realise that Das’s suspension would affect the debate on Biju Patnaik. In fact, the debate was only confined among the BJD members.
leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra of the Congress was very close to Biju Patnaik and he could have shared his feelings towards the late leader.