Congress MLA Suspension Incident
Bhubaneswar, 26/03/2025: Senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Odisha Legislative Assembly, Shri Prasanna Acharya, has reacted strongly to the statement issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Smt. Surama Padhi, regarding the suspension of Congress MLAs from the Assembly. He criticized the statement as one-sided and not a complete reflection of the incident.
Shri Acharya remarked that the incident was a rare and unprecedented event in the history of the Odisha Legislative Assembly. He emphasized that both ruling and opposition party MLAs are crucial for the smooth functioning of the Assembly. However, the ruling party seems intent on running the Assembly without involving the opposition. The government has grown intolerant and refuses to accept any criticism from the opposition.
Shri Acharya further pointed out that the explanation provided by the Speaker about the incident was incomplete and failed to cover the entire scope of the events that occurred. Traditionally, entry of outsiders are restricted into house of Assembly, but some outsiders had not only entered in to house but also seen in forcibly moving MLAs out from the house.
The BJD leader condemned the government’s attempts to undermine the traditions of the Assembly. He emphasized that the party strongly condemns the government’s actions that undermine the protection of OBC, SC, and ST communities in the state. For the past three days, the BJD has been demanding discussions on these critical issues, but the government has repeatedly refused to allow any dialogue.
Earlier today, BJD members attempted to protest against the denial of permission for discussions on the topic of SC, ST and OBC reservation, within the Assembly. However, the police blocked BJD MLAs at the gates of the Assembly, leading to an altercation. Several of our MLAs were injured during the incident, and we strongly condemn the actions of the police.
Shri Acharya concluded by stressing that the actions of the police and the government’s refusal to permit constructive discussions have been widely condemned. The BJD will continue to fight for the rights and welfare of the people of Odisha.
