12 Congress MLAs suspended from Odisha Assembly for unruly behaviour

In a significant development, 12 Congress MLAs on Tuesday were suspended from the Odisha Assembly for displaying unruly behaviour in the House. The decision was taken following a proposal moved by the Chief Whip of the ruling party, citing violations of legislative conduct.

Out of the total 14 Congress legislators, 12 members faced suspension. The leaders include- Ramchandra Kadam, C.S. Rajan Ekka, Dasarathi Gamang, Ashok Das, Satyajit Gamang, Sagar Das, and Prafula Pradhan. All the 12 Congress MLAs have been suspended for a period of seven days.

The move came after repeated disruptions during Assembly proceedings, leading to concerns over maintaining order and discipline in the House.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Congress MLAs were seen beating gongs and cymbals to draw the attention of the government towards their demand, particularly over the safety of women in the state.

Not only Congress, the BJD MLAs also staged a protest in the House today.

Reactions of leaders:

Congress MLA Tara Bahinipati said, “I was feeling unwell, so I went home. It is a murder of democracy which had never happened. Today, the BJP government has created history for Odisha and will be remembered for murdering democracy. Congress is not scared, we will fight. I and Ramesh Jena have not been suspended, we will continue with our protest.”

Bahinipati said, “When BJP was staging demonstration earlier, it was acceptable. Had I been here, I would have also been suspended. Our party’s stand is very clear, we will stick to our demand and we will gherao Assembly on the 27th. Our only demand is the constitution of the House Committee to ensure the safety of women and girls in the state. Congress will continue its fight.”

Minister Krushna Mahapatra said, “For the last several days, the opposition has been stalling proceedings of the House. Despite requests by the Speaker and meetings, they did not pay any heed. People of Odisha are watching such disruptions.”

“When I was coming to Odisha Assembly, I learnt that I have been suspended. Why the BJP is scared? You will see that the Odisha government is no longer to uphold democracy. Congress is demanding the constitution of the House Committee and whatever has happened is totally unacceptable. We were staging a protest in a unique way to put forth our demands,” said suspended Congress MLA Dasarathi Gamang.

Gamang further said that “The suspension is unfortunate and we have been giving respect to the Speaker. The BJP government is unable to run the House. We are ready for discussions and we are demanding a House Committee over the issue of safety of women. We will intensify our agitation in the coming days.”

BJP MLA Jayanarayan Mishra said, “There was other option than to suspend the Congress MLAs. The Congress is demanding House Committee. But is constituted in some specific case rather than claiming for the overall scenario. The suspension of Congress MLAs is justified.”

As Congress MLAs were still staging demonstrations, the Odisha Assembly Speaker directed the Marshals to escort the Congress MLAs out of the House.

Constitution Expert, Manas Behera said, “Discipline is of high importance. The Speaker is a lady and it is not acceptable for someone to beat gongs, and other musical instruments and throw papers. When a Laxman Rekha is crossed, action like suspension needs to be taken. It will be unfortunate if Marshals drive out MLAs from the House.”

Responding to the suspension of Congress MLAs, BJD MLA Arun Sahoo said, “The Congress MLAs were beating cymbals and other musical instruments. Whatever Congress is demanding, the ruling party should have accepted and constituted a House Committee. Everything happened due to the inefficiency of the government. Today, all of a sudden such a decision was taken by the Odisha government.”

Sahoo further said that the BJP government is displaying its inefficiency. “Whatever opposition was doing during our government, no harsh action was being taken. Now under the new government, things are different. The drama that was going on for the last 10 to days, could have been resolved efficiently.”

Earlier in the day, BJP MLA Babu Singh strongly criticized the opposition for their actions. Addressing the issue, Singh pointed out that each day of Assembly proceedings costs the government Rs 70 lakh, yet the opposition continues to stall discussions instead of addressing crucial public concerns.

BJD MLA Arun Sahoo defended his party, stating that ensuring the smooth functioning of the House is the responsibility of the ruling party. He argued that while disruptions are part of democracy, the government should remain committed to governance and addressing issues concerning the people.

The suspension of such a large number of opposition lawmakers is expected to impact upcoming legislative debates, further intensifying political tensions within the State Assembly.