The Odisha Assembly was adjourned twice on Saturday because of a ruckus by Opposition BJD members who demanded a clarification from chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi over his allegation of irregularities in government recruitment during the previous BJD regime.

Majhi, while introducing the Odisha Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024, in the Assembly on Friday, alleged that massive irregularities happened in government recruitment during the previous BJD regime and jobs were sold for lakhs of rupees. He alleged there were irregularities in the recruitment of assistant section officers (ASOs) and junior engineers.

BJD had strongly condemned the statement and asked him to prove
the charges.

As soon as the House assembled for question hour on Saturday, the BJD members trooped into the well and raised slogans demanding a clarification from the
chief minister.

The House could function for only three minutes during the Question Hour, after which Speaker Surama Padhy adjourned it as the agitating BJD members refused to stop sloganeering.

When the House reassembled at 11.30am, Opposition chief whip Pramila Mallik of the BJD strongly condemned Majhi’s statement and said the remarks were unbecoming of a chief minister. She urged the Speaker to expunge Majhi’s statement from the
Assembly records. Mallik said Majhi’s statement was an insult to the meritorious students who have been newly recruited in the post of ASO.

“The chief minister’s statement will also de-motivate aspiring candidates preparing for different government jobs. Therefore, it should be deleted from the Assembly records,” she said while demanding clarification from the chief minister.

BJP member Santosh Khatua also alleged that there have been irregularities in the requirements during the previous government.

“The new law is therefore now passed in order to end the legacy of corruption in the recruitment process. There is no point in disrupting the valuable time of the Assembly,” Khatua said.

The BJD members again created ruckus, demanding a ruling from the Speaker. Amid the din, Padhy again adjourned the proceedings till 4pm.

Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Naveen Patnaik, was present in the House
when his party members trooped into the well. However, Majhi was not present as he was attending a programme of President Droupadi Murmu in Mayurbhanj district.

Outside the Assembly, BJD member Goutam Buddha Das asked the chief minister to prove the charges made by him or tender an apology in the House for making an “irresponsible” statement.

Dismissing Majhi’s allegation, BJD member Ganeswar Behera said: “Let the chief minister book the people who were involved in the alleged irregularities.
Bring all of them before the camera.”