The Odisha Legislative Assembly continued to witness chaos and disruption for the ninth consecutive day on Monday as opposition parties refused to allow normal proceedings, demanding the resignation of Health Minister over the tragic SCB Medical College and Hospital ICU fire incident.
Despite repeated appeals from the government side, including from Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, and multiple all-party meetings called by Speaker Surama Padhy, the House could not function normally. Opposition members from BJD, Congress, and CPI(M) stuck to their demand for the immediate resignation of the Health Minister, stalling all legislative business.
The protest, which began on March 17, entered its ninth day with opposition MLAs creating ruckus right from the start of Question Hour. Holding posters and raising slogans demanding the Health Minister’s resignation, they stormed the well of the House, forcing Speaker Padhy to adjourn the House multiple times.
Earlier in the day, the House paid tributes to former MLA Narayana Sahu. Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida moved the condolence motion, which was supported by Opposition Leader Naveen Patnaik, Congress Legislature Party Leader Ramachandra Kadam, and CPI(M) MLA Laxman Munda. A one-minute silence was observed in memory of the departed leader.
Soon after the condolence motion, as Question Hour began, opposition members disrupted proceedings. Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan was answering a question by BJP MLA Pratap Chandra Nayak when the uproar started. The Speaker adjourned the House from 10:46 AM to 11:30 AM.
When the House reassembled for Zero Hour, the opposition continued their protest in the same manner. Several BJP MLAs, including Pratap Chandra Nayak, Ashok Mohanty, and Bibhuti Bhushan Pradhan, strongly condemned the opposition’s behaviour, stating that the continuous disruption for nine days was preventing discussion on people’s issues.
The Speaker once again called an all-party meeting in an attempt to restore normalcy. The House was adjourned from 11:56 AM till 1:00 PM. Even after that, it had to be adjourned twice for 10 minutes each, but with no resolution in sight, Deputy Speaker Bhabani Shankar Bhoi adjourned the House till 4:00 PM.
Government members repeatedly urged the opposition to come to the discussion table and allow the House to function, with the Chief Minister himself requesting LoP Naveen Patnaik to cooperate. However, the opposition remained firm on their demand for the Health Minister’s resignation.
The ongoing stalemate has raised concerns over the functioning of the Budget Session, as important legislative and financial business remains pending due to the continued impasse.
The tragic fire at SCB Medical College’s ICU that triggered the protest has already claimed several lives and sparked widespread outrage across the state. The opposition alleges negligence by the government and holds the Health Minister accountable, while the ruling dispensation has been pushing for a reasoned debate inside the House rather than disruption.
As of now, there is no indication of any breakthrough, and the Assembly is likely to see further disruptions in the coming days unless a compromise is reached through dialogue.
