Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Jan 12: The stalemate between the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Opposition Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continues over the “legitimacy” of the newly formed five-member committee that would study functioning of the Vidhan Parishads in other states.
The issue took a more serious tone Monday when the ruling party rejected the demand of the Opposition to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the matter.
BJD spokesperson and Nimapada MLA Samir Das said, “There is no need for an all-party meeting now as we have just set the ball rolling. At a later stage, we can have such meetings. The council proposal will come up in the assembly where the Opposition will have a chance to give their views.”
“If the state government feels there is a need to convene an all-party meeting, it will be done after the committee submits its report,” he said, adding, ‘the parliamentary affairs minister is in touch with the Opposition to sort out the issue and we hope the Opposition will eventually cooperate with the government.”
BJD legislator and head of the five-member panel Nrusingha Sahu said, “The government has taken the correct decision. We will move ahead with the committee’s functioning as the two legislators named in it from the Congress and the BJP have not said they would not cooperate.”
“It’s the Opposition leaders who are against the decision,” he said.
However, the Opposition has stuck to its demand. BJP leader Biswa Bhusan Harichandan said, “There is no point in holding an all-party meeting after going ahead with the committee. This government doesn’t believe in democracy.”
Former PCC president Niranjan Patnaik said, “The state government should have consulted leaders of all political parties before taking a decision. The BJD government is planning to form the council so as to rehabilitate some more of its leaders in the legislative framework.”
The state government formed the five-member committee January 7 with Nrusingha Sahu, Pramila Mallick and Manohar Randhari from Biju Janta Dal (BJD), Bhujbal Majhi from the Congress and Nitesh Gangdev from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as its members.
Parliamentary affairs minister Bikram Keshari Arukh had said the committee will visit Karnataka and Maharashtra to study the functioning of the legislative councils there and submit a report to the government.
