I Am Sorry, Says Odisha Speaker SN Patro To LoP Pradipta Naik

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Assembly Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro on Tuesday tendered an apology in the House for not allowing Leader of Opposition Pradipta Naik to raise the issue of lady PEO death and immediately adjourning the House yesterday.

"I could not understand what the LoP was saying and I am sorry for that," Patro said in his statement.

However, raising the issue in the Assembly today, Naik questioned, "Why prime accused and husband of the Sarpanch, Rupesh Bhadra did not inform police immediately after finding PEO Smitarani dead in his guest house?"

He also questioned about two Samiti members, a Zilla Parishad member and an official of RAMCO cement company who were reportedly excluded from the case.

The LoP went on saying, "Under which Dabangg MLA’s patronage was Rupesh Bhadra’s guest house Rangasala constructed from where the body of Smitarani was recovered and why no action has been taken against officials who submitted a report on eviction of the guest house."

On Monday, the LoP tried to raise the issue for discussion in the House when the Speaker had adjourned the proceedings till 3 pm. Angry over the issue, BJP legislators led by Naik boycotted the House and staged a dharna near Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in premises of the Assembly. Later, they took out a rally and met Governor Ganeshi Lal.