Odisha assembly in normal mode as din subsides

The proceedings of the state assembly got back to the normal mode on the seventh day, breaking the deadlock that had paralysed business of the house during past six days.

The assembly started on a noisy note with opposition Congress and BJP MLAs protesting loudly and dangling banners against the government on the chit fund scam and abuse of lady BJP MLA Radharani Panda, with the speaker Niranjan Pujari adjourning the house till 3 pm.

As the house resumed after 3 pm, the scene turned normal with the Opposition giving its consent to participate in the discussions relating to the state's Supplementary Budget for 2014-15.

This was after the speaker's assurance that a debate would be allowed in the house on the chit fund scandal. The size of the Supplementary Budget for this fiscal has been pegged at Rs 4,502.34 crore that contains a special provision of Rs 300 crore towards contribution to the corpus fund announced previously for depositors duped by unscrupulous chit fund players.

Earlier in the day, Congress MLAs staged protests with black cloth bands wrapped on their mouths. The BJP members protested from their seats carrying placards.

Members of the ruling Biju Janata dal (BJD) rushed into the well of the house shouting slogans like ‘Naveen Patnaik Zindabad’.

Congress chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati accused the BJD MLAs of disrupting house business.