The State Assembly witnessed frequent adjournments over the Mahanadi issue again on Monday as opposition Congress and BJP members continued decrying the Chief Minister’s reply on Saturday and kept demanding a fresh statement from him on steps to be taken by the Government to resolve the water sharing issue.
When the House met in the morning, Congress members rushed to the Well and shouted slogans against the Chief Minister terming his statement as a BJD statement and not a CM’s. Opposition Chief Whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati even climbed on to the Reporters’ desk. Speaker Niranjan Pujar adjourned the House at 10.31 am till 3 pm.
In the afternoon, leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra pulled up the Chief Minister stating that the latter ignored the views of the House for a united fight against the Chhattisgarh Government. “By deciding to fight alone, the Chief Minister has not taken the House into confidence. By doing show, he has acted as leader of the BJD not as the leader of the House. History will never remember him as a people’s leader or as a Statesman,” said Mishra.
Government Chief Whip Ananta Das soon sought a Point of Order and on being allowed, he opposed Mishra’s remark on the Chief Minister.
“Will the leader of Opposition write the Chief Minister’s CCRIJ” he wanted to know. Meanwhile, Bahinipati stood on his chair and protested Das being allowed to speak when the leader of Opposition was on his legs. Then, he and other Congress members rushed into the Well of the House, following which the Speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes.
When the House reassembled, Narasingha Mishra demanded that the Chief Minister make a fresh statement as to what steps his Government would take to resolve the Mahanadi issue.
Congress members again rushed to the Well when BJD MlA Amar Prasad Satpathy spoke on the Mahanadi issue. Then, Pujari called for an all-party meeting for smooth conduct of the House.