Odisha Speaker suspends Cong MLA for a week

MLA Naba Kishore Das was suspended after being accused of watching objectionable content on his phone

Congress MLA Naba Kishore Das was today suspended from the Odisha Assembly for a week on charge of watching objectionable clips on his cellphone in the House yesterday, even as the entire opposition staged a walkout urging the Speaker to reconsider his order and wait for probe.

Speaker Niranjan Pujari, who first referred the matter to the Ethics Committee of the House for inquiry, ordered suspension of Das for one week after Government Chief Whip Ananta Das brought a motion, which was passed by voice vote.

Raising the issue during Zero hour, BJD member Pramila Mallick demanded expulsion of Das from the House. She said the alleged action of the Congress legislator yesterday had lowered the dignity of the House.
 

As soon as the Speaker gave the ruling for the suspension of Das, pandemonium began amid protest from Congress members and the House was adjourned till 12 noon.

When the House reassembled, Leader of Opposition of Congress Narasingha Mishra said that before taking any action against a member on the basis of allegation levelled by another lawmaker, there must be an inquiry and the accused legislator must be given an opportunity to present his position.

Action should be taken only after the member is found guilty after proper inquiry and not before that, Mishra said, adding that he, in fact, had asked the party MLA to express regret and seek an impartial probe into the matter.

Recalling an old ruling by the chair in the House on March 15, 1963, he said a member had made serious allegation against another MLA. The ruling was that any member levelling allegation against another should have enough evidence and the House must be in possession of evidence before action is taken, the leader of opposition said adding "I disapprove of any act of making allegation without having evidence."

Stating that the principle of natural justice shows that a person must be heard before he is hanged, Mishra said what has happened in the House was not proper. "Therefore, I request you to reconsider the ruling," he said.

Endorsing Mishra's views, senior BJP member K V Singhdeo said the allegation should be investigated first and if found to be true then only can action be taken.

Moreover, the Congress MLA has not been given an opportunity to be heard so far which is wrong, he said, requesting the Speaker to re-examine and reconsider the ruling to suspend Das.

Describing the suspension of Das as a hurriedly taken decision, Laxman Munda of CPI-M also said the ruling should be reconsidered.

Thereafter, the Speaker said the Ethics Committee of the House would conduct an inquiry and it would give an opportunity to the member and hear him. Pujari, however, ignored members' pleas for reconsidering the ruling on suspension of Das.

Not happy with the response, leader of opposition said, "Let us be rational. As per principles of natural justice, punishment should come after inquiry." Mishra then led a walkout by Congress seeking reconsideration of ruling.

Radharani Panda of BJP said dignity of the House is important but taking action before conducting inquiry is improper.

BJP Chief Whip Rabinarayan Naik said punishment should be pronounced only after inquiry and not before that. He said BJP members were also walking out of the House demanding reconsideration of Speaker's ruling.

Dubbing the decision to suspend him as undemocratic, Naba Das told reporters outside the house that he was prepared to request the Speaker after the Zero hour for giving him an opportunity to clarify his stand. "But Before that the ruling BJD moved a motion seeking my suspension," he said.

Just because BJD has majority, it has resorted to dictatorial practices and took action on the basis of simply an allegation, Das added.