The State Assembly on Saturday witnessed a face-off between the main Opposition Congress and the Chair over the conduct of the business of the House.
The Congress members boycotted the proceedings protesting against what they called the whims of the Chair in running the House throwing the rulebook to winds. This led to stalling of the discussion on the admissibility of an important adjournment motion relating to failure of the Government in the implementation of the paddy procurement policy.
The trouble started during the Zero Hour when leader of the Opposition Narasingha Mishra sought to know from the Chair when discussion on the notice relating to the adjournment motion would be taken up. Irked over the unnecessary extension of the Zero Hour, Mishra also questioned Jugal Kishore Patnaik, who was presiding over the House, the justification of allowing the members to raise trivial issues through points-of-order by wasting the valuable time instead of taking up the debate on the adjournment motion.
Alleging that Chair is transacting the business violating the rules of business and procedure of the House, Mishra also wanted to know from Patnaik the rules under which he had allowed the members to make their points.
As the Chair tried to defend his decision and ruled that since members wanted to make their points on some issues he had to accommodate them, Mishra boycotted the House along with his party colleagues at 12.49 pm in protest. The Chair's frantic request to return to their seats so that he would take up the adjournment motion fell flat.
Though in the absence of the main Opposition which had given the notice, the Chair first asked Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Sanjay Dasburma to make a statement on the adjournment motion but then immediately told him not to proceed.
As the House plunged in a mess, Speaker Niranjan Pujari came and made a number of appeals to leader of Opposition Mishra to return to the House and even sent the Marshal to persuade him. Since Mishra did not turn up, the Speaker announced adjournment of the House for lunch at 12.54 pm till 3 pm.
later, Mishra criticised the Chair for creating a mess in the House and violating the rules of business. He announced that the Opposition, however small it may be, would not allow the House to run at the "whims of the Chair and the Government". At no point of time, the dignity of the House and interest of the State would be compromised, he said, adding that the Zero Hour is the time to raise the burning issues relating to the State's interests.