No-Confidence Motion Against Orissa Govt Admitted

The Orissa assembly yesterday admitted a motion of no-confidence against the 30-month old J B Patnaik ministry with the opposition challenging the Congress to quit and seek a fresh mandate from the people.

Separate motions of no-confidence against the council of ministers headed by J B Patnaik, were moved by the leader of the opposition, Ashok Das, the leader of the BJP, Bikram Keshari Deo and JMM leader, Mansid Ekka.

All the three motions were clubbed together before the house took up discussion by suspending all other business for the day soon after the question hour, on a suggestion by Das. It was readily agreed to by the Chief Minister.

This is the first no-confidence motion moved against the Congress ministry since it came to power in March 1995.

Making a scathing attack on the various failures of the administration, Das said the government was totally corrupt, inefficient and ineffective. Patnaik had no moral right to govern and must resign, he said, while demanding holding of fresh polls.

Das hit out against the Chief Minister alleging that he was trying to protect the states advocate general, Indrajeet Roy who is now facing a CBI probe in the much-publicised attempted rape charge hurled against him by Anjana Mishra.

Quoting the CBI counsel, Das claimed that several high level officials were involved in the case and demanded that Roy should be dismissed from his post. If the Chief Minister could not make him resign, then he himself should quit, Das said, adding that I am ashamed at the helplessness of the Chief Minister who has donned the mantle for a record third term.

He also alleged that the Congress government was involved in several scams amounting to at least Rs 1,000 crore. Some of these scams should be entrusted to the CBI for investigation, he demanded.

Das, while alleging collapse of the law and order machinery and a spiralling crime rate against women, said police firing, custodial deaths and political murders had claimed about 100 lives during the last two and half years.

The police did not even spare the speaker of the assembly and a senior cabinet minister, he said.