Bhubaneswar, February 15 (PTI): As the Opposition continued the uproar and raised slogans, Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat adjourned the House twice. When the House met for the day, pandemonium broke out with the Chair refusing to accept the Opposition’s demand to suspend the Question Hour. Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh demanded action against those involved in irregularities in purchase and supply of rotten pulses to children and pregnant women.
Singh said people responsible for “poisoning” food of school kids and pregnant mothers must be arrested. Congress MLAs Anup Sai, Debi Prasad Chand and Subal Sahu rushed to well holding plates of rotten dal and placed them on the Speaker’s podium which were removed by marshals. The unrelenting Congress members then kept the plates on the reporters’ table. “We collected rotten dal meant for feeding children and expectant mothers in various districts,” Sai said. Party’s chief whip Prasad Harichandan alleged that though “spurious” dal was supplied in all districts, the vigilance department wound up its probe after investigating allegations from only five districts. However, the BJP members who created disturbance during the Governor’s address on the first day of the Budget Session yesterday, participated in the Question Hour.
Denouncing the uproar created by the Opposition, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told reporters, “The government is ready to probe specific allegations if received from other districts.” Patnaik said the state government had already ordered criminal action against those found guilty. “Opposition should help in ensuring normalcy in the House for a healthy debate on any issue,” he said.
Singh said people responsible for “poisoning” food of school kids and pregnant mothers must be arrested. Congress MLAs Anup Sai, Debi Prasad Chand and Subal Sahu rushed to well holding plates of rotten dal and placed them on the Speaker’s podium which were removed by marshals. The unrelenting Congress members then kept the plates on the reporters’ table. “We collected rotten dal meant for feeding children and expectant mothers in various districts,” Sai said. Party’s chief whip Prasad Harichandan alleged that though “spurious” dal was supplied in all districts, the vigilance department wound up its probe after investigating allegations from only five districts. However, the BJP members who created disturbance during the Governor’s address on the first day of the Budget Session yesterday, participated in the Question Hour.
Denouncing the uproar created by the Opposition, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told reporters, “The government is ready to probe specific allegations if received from other districts.” Patnaik said the state government had already ordered criminal action against those found guilty. “Opposition should help in ensuring normalcy in the House for a healthy debate on any issue,” he said.
