Disruptions mar day one of Odisha winter session

The winter session of the Odisha Assembly took off on a stormy note here on Thursday, with opposition Congress and BJP legislators targetting the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) over the multi-crore chit fund scam.

As soon as the Assembly session began, opposition MLAs began shouting anti-government slogans and holding placards with the demand that all other House proceedings be suspended to discuss the issue.

“We demanded immediate discussion on the scam as it has affected thousands of people in the state,” senior Congress legislator Narasingha Mishra, Leader of the Opposition, told reporters outside the House.

Some of opposition members stormed into the well of the house, forcing the Speaker to adjourned the proceedings. The BJD dismissed the opposition demands to discuss the scam, which is currently being investigated the CBI.

“We are prepared to debate the issue in the House, but it should be as per the law. The opposition’s intention is only to disrupt the House,” senior BJD legislator and party spokesperson Amar Satpathy said.

Patnaik, meanwhile, asserted that neither his party nor his government could be held responsible for the scam.