12 Odisha MLAs suspended from assembly for 7 days after disruptions: Speaker

The Congress legislators were demanding that the assembly set up a committee of MLAs be constituted to probe ‘rising cases of crimes against women’ in Odisha

Published on: Mar 25, 2025, 18:06:35 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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BHUBANESWAR: Odisha assembly speaker Surama Padhy on Tuesday suspended 12 Congress legislators for seven days for disrupting proceedings after the House passed a resolution to this effect moved by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief whip Saroj Pradhan.

Congress and BJD MLAs stage a protest in the House during the Budget session of Odisha assembly in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday (PTI)

The Congress lawmakers were demanding that the assembly constitute a committee of lawmakers to look into cases of crimes against women in the state and staged protests in the assembly, while its members played gongs, cymbals and flutes.

The assembly proceedings have been disrupted over the last few days with members of the opposition Congress and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) raising various issues, including an alleged rise in crimes against women.

Congress MLA Ashok Kumar Das said the legislators had stood their ground. “We stick to our demand for a House committee to investigate rising crime against women in the state. This is a larger public issue, but the treasury benches are not accepting our demands. We will continue our protest till our demand is accepted,” Das said.

The 12 Congress MLAs who were suspended are Rama Chandra Kadam (Pottangi), CS Raazen Ekka (Rajagangpur), Dasarathi Gamango (Mohana), Ashok Kumar Das (Basudevpur), Satyajeet Gamango (Gunupur), Sagar Charan Das (Bhawanipatna), Kadraka Appala Swamy (Rayagada), Prafulla Chandra Pradhan (Kandhamal), Pabitra Saunta (Koraput), Sofia Firdous (Barabati-Cuttack), Mangu Khilla (Chitrakonda), and Nilamadhab Hikaka (Bissam Cuttack).

In all, the Congress has 14 members in the 147-member assembly.

Congress MLA Dasarathi Gamang asked why the BJP was hesitating to set up the committee. “Why is the BJP scared? You will see that the Odisha government no longer upholds democracy. Congress is demanding the constitution of the House committee and whatever has happened is totally unacceptable. We were staging a protest in a unique way to put forth our demands. The suspension is unfortunate,” he said, declaring that the Congress would intensify the agitation in the coming days.

Urban development minister Krushna Mahapatra accused the Opposition of stalling assembly proceedings for the last few days and the assembly was left with no option. “Despite requests by the speaker and meetings, they did not pay heed. People of Odisha are watching such disruptions,” he said.

BJD legislator Arun Sahoo said the ruling BJP should have accepted the Congress’s demand and constituted a House committee. “Everything happened due to the inefficiency of the government,” he said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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