Aggrieved over Deputy Speaker Sanad Marandi’s decision not to bring the adjournment notice on the sensitive multi-crore chit fund scam for discussion on Saturday, the main opposition Congress members created furor in the Assembly forcing adjournments twice for a period of 72 minutes in the pre-launch session. Due to the unruly scene, the Question Hour could not be transacted for second consecutive day on Saturday.
As the House assembled for the day and Deputy Speaker Marandi started the Question Hour by asking the Planning and Co-ordination Minister Maheswar Mohanty to answer the first question of Congress member Santosh Singh Saluja, leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh sought to know from the Chair on the fate of adjournment notice on chit fund for discussion.
The Deputy Speaker, however, ruled that the adjournment notice on chit fund scam was admitted and discussion on the motion would be made on Monday next. He explained that it was not possible to accommodate the discussion on chit fund scam on Saturday’s business due to pressing legislative business, particularly for the discussion and passing of two important bills.
However, protesting the Deputy Speaker’s ruling, leader of Opposition Singh alleged that the discussion on the issue was not allowed as a number of Ministers and ruling party MlAs and leaders were involved in the chit fund scam. The Government, in a bid to shield the leaders, was shying away for a discussion on the issue, he said.
Singh regretted that despite the practice of discussion of an adjournment motion daily, the Chair had disrespected the practice and procedure of the House and demanded the Deputy Speaker to allow discussion on chit fund scam issue in which lakhs of poor depositors became victim of fraudulent chit fund companies.
Protesting the Deputy Speaker’s decision, the entire Congress members trooped into the well displaying placards and anti-Government slogans reading, ‘Chief Minister is the brand ambassador of chit fund companies.’ As the demonstration intensified, the Deputy Speaker was forced to adjourn the House three minutes after the start of the Question Hour at 10.33 am till 11.30 am.
However, during the Zero Hour, there was no let-up in the situation as the Congress members continued their demonstration in the well. In their bid to stall the proceeding, even some of the agitating members were seen trying to reach the Speaker’s podium and clashed with the watch and ward staff as the Deputy Speaker allowed the Treasury Bench members to raise the issue of Central neglect in revising the mining royalty and sought to pass a censure motion against the Union Government for the inordinate delay.
As din prevailed in the House, Marandi adjourned the House again at 11.58 am for fifteen minutes after which the House returned to normalcy following the assurance from Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kalpataru Das and request by the Deputy Speaker to allow discussion on chit fund issue on Monday positively. Stating that the two bills, the Odisha Self-Help Cooperatives (repeal) Bill -2013 to repeal the Odishaa Self Help Cooperative Act-2013 and the Odisha Cooperative Societies Amendment Bill, 2013, are most important for the State to check money laundering and chit fund scams, Minister Das said the Opposition should cooperate to pass the legislation.