Odisha assembly passes Pani Panchayat (Amendment) Bill amid uproar

The state government today managed to pass the Odisha Pani Panchayat (Amendment) Bill, 2014 despite ruckus that dogged the house for the sixth day of the winter session.

Soon after the house opened to transact business, members of BJP created an unruly scene by rushing to the speaker's podium, carrying banners and pressing for a discussion on the chit fund scam. BJP MLAs including the party's legislature party leader Basant Panda stood on speaker Niranjan Pujari's podium.

The Congress legislators staged a silent protest from their seat with black cloth bands wrapped over their mouths.

The ruling BJD MLAs trooped to the well of the house with anti-Centre slogans. The pandemonium forced the speaker to adjourn the house twice, first till 11:30 am and later till 3 pm. The house was finally adjourned till Thursday after passage of the Pani Panchayat (Amendment) Bill.

Leader of the Opposition Narasingha Mishra blamed the ruling BJD for stalling house business.

“The ruling BJD legislators are rushing to the well of the house and disrupting its business. This is unfortunate. Nowhere in the country is this practice followed.

Stalling the assembly business by the BJD is pre-meditated. The ruling party wants to get things done and pass Bills as per its whims without the participation of the Opposition”, he said.

BJP state unit president K V Singhdeo said, there was nothing undemocratic in climbing to the speaker's podium to raise protest.

“We have demonstrated our protest and we feel there is nothing undemocratic in it. If the speakers feels this violates the Rules of Business, he can initiate action”, he told reporters outside the house.

Parliamentary affairs minister Bikram K Arukh took a dig at the BJP for setting a bad precedent in the assembly by climbing up to the speaker's podium.

BJD spokesperson Samir Ranjan Dash said, the speaker should suspend the BJP members who prevented him to occupy his chair.