The suspension of Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati from the Odisha Legislative Assembly remains in place after an all-party meeting called by Speaker Surama Padhi failed to reach a resolution on Thursday.
During Zero Hour, Congress Legislature Party Leader Rama Chandra Kadam raised the issue, urging the Speaker to revoke the suspension order against Bahinipati. However, the Speaker’s condition—that Bahinipati express regret and apologize in the House—was rejected by Kadam, who argued that the MLA had committed no wrongdoing.
The standoff stems from an earlier incident where Bahinipati was suspended, allegedly following inappropriate behavior directed at him by a minister and senior BJP MLAs. Kadam, addressing the issue, stated that the all-party meeting yielded no consensus, and the Congress party would continue its protests inside and outside the Assembly over women’s safety concerns. “The Speaker’s condition that Tara Bahinipati apologize is unacceptable. He did nothing wrong; instead, he faced indecent behaviour from ruling party members,” Kadam said, adding that the party would escalate its agitation both within the House and at the Gandhi statue in the Assembly premises.
Bahinipati, while expressing willingness to apologize, demanded that a House committee be formed to address women’s safety and that Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi respond to the issue of violence against women in the Assembly. “I am ready to apologize, but first, ensure women’s safety is addressed,” he asserted.
The controversy intensified after Wednesday’s Question Hour, when Congress MLAs staged a sit-in near the Gandhi statue and protested in the well of the House during Zero Hour. Kadam clarified that the party respects the Speaker’s chair and had no intention of disrespecting it. “Our protest was about women’s safety in the state, not against the Chair. Tara Bahinipati is a respected figure and did not dishonor the Speaker,” he said, accusing ruling party members of instigating the chaos by pushing legislators and escalating tensions—an unprecedented event, he claimed, egged on by the Parliamentary Affairs Minister.
Following Kadam’s appeal to reconsider the suspension, Speaker Padhy adjourned the House and convened the all-party meeting, attended by Deputy Chief Minister KV Singhdeo, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling, Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan, Panchayati Raj Minister Rabi Naik, Government Chief Whip Saroj Pradhan, BJP MLA Jayanarayan Mishra, BJD senior MLA Prasanna Acharya, BJD’s Pratap Deb, Congress leader Rama Chandra Kadam, and CPI(M) MLA Laxman Munda. Despite discussions held in three phases with multiple adjournments, no breakthrough was achieved.
Kadam reiterated that the Congress would not bow to the Speaker’s condition, accusing the government of shielding its members while unfairly targeting Bahinipati. The party has vowed to sharpen its protests, signaling further disruptions in the Assembly over the issue of women’s safety and what they call an unjust suspension.
