Our ruckus in Assembly suits ruling BJP: BJD MLA Arun Sahoo’s indirect jibe at own party?

Senior BJD MLA Arun Sahoo's sharp remarks have sparked debate within the party over its strategy of stalling Assembly proceedings. Sahoo, while introducing himself as a 'student of political science,' indirectly criticised the party’s decision to disrupt the House throughout the monsoon session. Interestingly, his comments received support from fellow MLA Ganeswar Behera, who described himself as a 'student of English.'

From day one of the ongoing Assembly session, the BJD has been creating uproar, forcing adjournments and preventing legislative business from taking place in the state Assembly. This has raised questions- was the chaos part of a planned strategy? Or was it an attempt to deflect attention from the absence of the leader of the Opposition, Naveen Patnaik, who could not attend the session?

Breaking ranks with the party line, Arun Sahoo stated that as a BJD legislator, he supports the party’s decision. But as a student of political science, he believes the Assembly should not remain in a state of deadlock. If discussions take place, the government will be held accountable, and people will benefit.

"If the Assembly is stalled, it will ultimately harm Odisha and its people. It has been proven that even small discussions inside the Assembly have high importance. Personally, I wish that the Assembly should always function. Our uproar suits the ruling party. If the Assembly is halted, it mostly favours the ruling party," said Arun Sahoo.

Supporting his colleague, MLA Ganeswar Behera, remarked that as a student of English, what he knows is that if discussions continue in the Assembly, people will benefit. But at the same time, the ruling party must have the willingness to run the House.

"I am not a student of political science, but I am working in the field of politics. I am a student of English literature. Common sense tells us that the normal functioning of the House is good for the peoplr. The obstinate nature of the government often creates problems," said Ganeswar Behera.

The remarks from two senior legislators have intensified the political buzz in the state, raising doubts over whether BJD’s disruptive stance truly reflects the will of all its members.

Political tensions have escalated following statements made by Arun. The BJP has brought serious allegations, claiming that all BJD MLAs preferred that the Assembly functions in a coordinated manner. However, since the high command was absent, the BJD, following its own directive, immobilized the House.

On the other hand, Congress accused the BJD of stalling the House to protect the BJP from the no-confidence motion. 

In response, the BJD stated that it had demanded detailed discussions from the perspective of farmers’ and women’s interests. However, the ruling party blocked the House by being evasive. 

"The 50 MLAs of the party were humiliated in the Assembly as there has been no order by the high command. One of their high commands-Naveen Patnaik, is in Delh,i and another high command is in USA. He is giving directions from the USA, and the House is running accordingly. There is nothing more to be worried like this. The MLAs of their party have been humiliated. While some of them have openly expressed their voices against it, some others are quietly shedding tears," said BJP MLA Saroj Padhi.

"We want the Assembly to run so that discussions can be held on farmers' issues. We also brought the no-confidence motion. All kinds of problems should be discussed in the Assembly. Instead of doing this, they halted the Assembly. There has been understanding between both parties, and they are two sides of the same coin," said Congress MLA Ashok Das.

"Every citizen has the right to protest. The citizens are protesting. As the representatives of the citizens, we are protesting against the wrong decisions and the failures of the government. What is the problem with it? There could have been discussions after the protest. Didn't we cooperate in the discussion? However, their motive was not to run the Assembly," said BJD MLA Sarada Jena.

Earlier, on the occasion of Teacher's Day, Arun had indirectly opposed certain factional policies within the party. Now, he criticised the party over its stance in the Assembly. Moving forward, it remains to be seen what kind of action BJD will take against Arun, as the party has already begun taking measures against dissidents.