Bhubaneswar- Speaker Surama Padhy on Tuesday suspended Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati from the Odisha Legislative Assembly for indiscipline for seven days.
The suspension was initiated based on a proposal by Ruling Party Chief Whip Saroj Pradhan and approved by Speaker Surama Padhy. She stated that Bahinipati’s indecent behavior was unacceptable and detrimental to the decorum of the House. Padhy also condemned the conduct of both BJD and Congress legislators.
In protest of his suspension, Bahinipati’s party colleagues in the Assembly staged a dharna, wearing black bands over their mouths, in the House. The BJD also protested the suspension and staged a walkout.
Meanwhile, Speaker directed the marshals to keep him out of the Assembly for seven working days.
This after, the member were seen pushing each other, standing on the reporters’ table and raising slogans during the protest. Though BJD members were also in the well, they did not participate in the scuffle. Bahinipati even tried to climb onto the Speaker’s podium to disrupt proceedings but was unsuccessful.
Despite the spectacle, the Speaker allowed the Question Hour to continue.
However, tension intensified when the senior BJP lawmaker Jayanarayan Mishra rushed towards Bahinipati, who was standing in front of Urban Development Minister Krushna Ch Mohapatra as he was replying to a question. They were were just short of engaging in fisticuffs.
As the news broke on Bahinipati’s suspension, Odisha PCC Chief Bhakta Charan Das reached Odisha Assembly to throw his support behind party’s MLAs, Das was quoted saying, we are strongly behind our MLA, we will take the fight to streets if the suspension is not revoked by Speaker.
Das further said, the Irony is our party MLAs have been fighting inside and outside house for Women’s dignity and against rising crime against women and Mr Bahinipati has been suspended by a woman speaker
