Odisha Assembly session: Oppn stages walkout during Governor's address

Bhubaneswar, July 22 (IANS) The Budget Session of the Odisha Assembly commenced on a stormy note on Monday as the opposition staged a walkout soon after Governor Raghubar Das began his address.

The opposition parties walked out of the House in protest against the state government’s inaction in connection with a case related to the alleged assault on an Assistant Section Officer (ASO) by the Governor’s son, Lalit Kumar, in Puri on July 7.

“My party and I are disappointed and surprised to find that the present government has taken no action on the Governor’s son who had unleashed violence on a government officer. We are deeply shocked by this. Law and Order seems to have broken down in our state," said Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik.

"When I was in government, immediate action was taken against Ministers, MLAs, MPs, senior government servants, if they had broken the law. The state government must act according to the law. Because of this, my party marched out of the Assembly hall at the beginning of the session," added Patnaik.

Senior Congress leader Tara Prasad Bahinipati said the party had urged Chief Minister Mohan Majhi to take action against the Governor’s son. The Congress had earlier announced that the party would not allow the Governor to speak in the House, hence they walked out.

Notably, the opposition Congress and Biju Janata Dal have been demanding action against Das’s son for allegedly assaulting ASO Baikuntha Pradhan, who was in charge of Raj Bhawan. Puri during the visit of President Droupadi Murmu on the occasion of Rath Yatra. Pradhan accused Kumar and his personal security Officer of assaulting him over a petty issue on late July 7 evening.