In an attempt to counter the Opposition before they could raise any issue to put the government in a tight spot, the legislators of the ruling Biju Janata Dal stalled the proceedings of the Odisha Assembly on the opening day of the monsoon session on Wednesday by raising slogans against the Centre and Chhattisgarh governments over the Mahanadi and Polavaram issues.
BJD legislator Byomkesh Ray was the first to shout slogans against the Centre and the neighbouring State when the national anthem was about to be played at the beginning of the session. Some other BJD legislators too joined him.
The Opposition alleged that the ruling party legislators showed disrespect to the national anthem by raising slogans just when the anthem was about to the played in the House.
A BJD leader later apologised for the raising of slogans while stating that actually the ruling party members never intended to disrespect the national anthem when they were raising issues to Mahanadi water dispute and Polavaram project.
The anthem was played as the House became normal after Speaker Niranjan Pujari asked the agitated legislators to maintain calm. However, as slogan shouting by the BJD legislators started again in a louder way as soon as the anthem ended, the Speaker adjourned the House till 3 p.m. after he failed to bring the House into order.
The BJD legislators soon went out of the House and marched to the Raj Bhavan in a procession holding banners in their hands and submitted a memorandum to Governor S.C. Jamir seeking the President’s intervention in resolving the two issues.
The BJD alleged that both the previous UPA government and the present NDA government had violated laws relating to construction of barrages across Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh and the Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh.
When the House reassembled after 3 p.m., the BJD legislators again created ruckus over Mahanadi and Polavaram following which the Speaker adjourned the House till Thursday.
