BJD and Congress boycott Odisha Governor Raghubar Das' address in the assembly.
As soon as the House assembled, the Leader of the Opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik led a walkout of the party lawmakers.
ANGIKAR NEWS
Bhubaneswar: I will certainly remember the text. The first session of the 17th Odisha Assembly began with controversy as both the opposition BJD and Congress boycotted Governor Raghubar Das's address to the House on Monday. They did so to protest alleged inaction against the Governor's son, who was accused of assaulting an official at the Puri Raj Bhavan.
When the House convened, Leader of Opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik led a walkout of the party lawmakers. The BJD members were followed by Congress MLAs who also staged a walkout, led by its legislature party leader Rama Chandra Kadam.
The opposition parties boycotted the governor's address due to an alleged assault on a government servant by Das's son. Speaking to reporters outside the assembly, Patnaik expressed disappointment and surprise at the lack of action taken against the governor's son, who was accused of violence against a government officer. He emphasized the importance of upholding law and order in the state.
The Congress highlighted that the assault on an Odia government official by the non-Odia governor's son had hurt Odia 'asmita' (pride). They expressed concern about the lack of action taken even though the governor had promised to address the issue within seven days.
Both the BJD and Congress decided to address the alleged mismanagement during Rath Yatra, the assault case involving the governor's son, and the rise in prices of essential commodities during the session, which has 27 sitting days.
The governor's son, Lalit Kumar, allegedly physically assaulted an assistant section officer (ASO) of Odisha Raj Bhavan on July 7 in Puri. A complaint was lodged, but no action has been taken against the accused to date.
