The Opposition bench in Odisha assembly remained vacant for the second day today and to the embarrassment of the government, senior minister Damodar Rout said the manner in which the House was was being run was "not appropriate".
Rout, who was speaking at a debate on a motion moved by government Chief Whip Ananta Das on 'Role of Legendary Biju Patnaik during freedom struggle and nation building after Independence', said "It is painful to find opposition absence in the House when we are discussing on the personality like Biju Patnaik.
"The legendary leader is loved by all and he does not belong to any one party," Rout, minister for Excise and Cooperation and a close associate of Patnaik, said.
"The manner in which the House is being run is not appropriate," Rout said adding it would have been a better tribute to the legendary leader had the House unanimously adopted a resolution seeking Bharat Ratna for Biju Patnaik.
Rout, who was a close associate of the late chief minister, said he did not understand how the Parliamentary Affairs minister and the government chief whip manage the House.
"Heaven would not have fallen had the decision (on suspension of Congress MLA) been delayed by two days.
"Now, the House will pass the resolution on Biju Patnaik in the absence of opposition members. It does not suit a tall personality like Biju Patnaik, who is considered as a person above political lines," he added.
Opposition Congress, BJP and CPI-M are keeping away from the House to protest the suspension of Congress MLA Nabakishore Das by Speaker Niranjan Pujari for seven days on the charge of watching objectionable video on mobile phone in the House on Monday.
The members of the three opposition parties are boycotting the House demanding reconsideration of the Speaker's decision. They also said the MLA was suspended without being given an opportunity to place his views on the matter and would not return to the House .
All the three opposition parties have announced not to return to House till the Speaker reconsiders his decision.
The motion sought passage of an unanimous resolution in the House favouring Bharat Ratna for Biju Patnaik. Odisha government will observe his birth centenary next year.
Meanwhile, an all party meeting chaired by Speaker to break the deadlock in the assembly, failed to yield result.
