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All-party meeting remains inconclusive
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar: The ongoing chit fund row washed out the assembly proceedings Tuesday even as an all-party meeting convened by the Speaker failed to resolve the logjam. That Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik attended the meeting as demanded by the Congress and BJP members did not help matters.
The house was adjourned five times in the day and could run only for three minutes while the discussion on demand for grants of both home and GA departments was differed to May 12 which will now be passed though guillotine.
For the third time, Speaker Niranjan Pujari convened two rounds of meeting Tuesday –at 9.30 am and again at 4.30 pm –following continuous disruption by the opposition seeking inter alia resignation of the Chief Minister and food supplies minister Sanjay Dasburma, ouster of Justice MM Das from chit fund inquiry commission and withdrawal of derogatory remarks by law minister Arun Kumar Sahu in the house against the Leader of Opposition.
At 9.30 am, the meeting failed to resolve the deadlock. When the house assembled for the day at 10.30 am Congress and BJP members stormed into the well forcing the Speaker to adjourn the house first till 11.30 am and then twice till 3 pm.
The house witnessed uproarious scenes when Congress chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati tried to mount onto the Speaker’s podium and snatch the microphone.
At 3 pm, the Speaker adjourned the house till 5 pm and convened an all-party meeting for the second time at 4.30 pm. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, LoP Narasingh Mishra and parliamentary affairs minister Bikram Keshari Arukh and several others attended the meeting.
“The all-party meeting remained inconclusive. I can’t say it was successful. I can’t also say it was completely unsuccessful,” said LoP, adding, “I hope the Speaker will convene it again and we will give alternative suggestions to ensure smooth conduct of the house proceedings.” Government chief whip Anant Das said, “I think the discussion with all party leaders was successful. I hope the house would function from the coming day.” said Das.
