Vidhan Parishad Row: Odisha Speaker Writes To Centre Seeking Probe 

The Odisha Assembly Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro on Tuesday shot off two letters to the Union Government seeking an investigation into claims on non-receipt of resolution by the Centre for creation of the Odisha Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad). 

All documents relating to passing of Odisha Legislative Council resolution in the State Legislative Assembly in 2018 and submission of the declaration to the Centre have been enclosed with the first letter.

In the second letter to Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, Patro has sought an investigation into the circumstances that led to non-receipt of the resolution by the Centre. 

The issue pertaining to the creation of Vidhan Parishad, an upper legislative house in Odisha, triggered a controversy after the Centre recently denied receiving any resolution from the State in this regard. It contradicts the claims of the State government that it had sent the resolution to the Centre in 2018.  

In a written reply to a question from BJD MP Prasanna Acharya, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said, "As per record, no such resolution has been received by the (Union) Government. However, information is being collected from the State Government of Odisha as regards the adoption of resolution." 

However, on September 6, 2018, the Odisha Assembly had passed the resolution for creation of a Legislative Council as per Act 169 of the Constitution of India. 

As per official data available with the Centre, State Legislative Councils currently exist in six States namely Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh while three states—Assam, Rajasthan and West Bengal have adopted the resolution for creation of Vidhan Parishad.