There was high drama on the streets of the Odisha capital on Thursday as BJP legislators marched towards Naveen Nivas, the chief minister’s residence, followed by the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) lawmakers.
The two parties are locked in a stalemate in the Assembly since BJP legislator Subhas Panigrahi allegedly attempted to commit suicide in the House on March 12 by consuming sanitiser to protest against the state government’s failure to buy paddy brought by farmers to the mandis.
While BJD legislators have been stalling the Assembly proceedings demanding an apology from Panigrahi for having lowered the dignity of the House, the BJP continues to insist that the government lift all paddy from the mandis. The BJP has also taken exception to the chief minister’s continued absence in the Assembly. The Congress too has accused the government of failing to procure the paddy of farmers.
The Assembly failed to transact any business for the sixth consecutive day on Thursday with the BJD insisting on Panigrahi’s apology and the BJP demanding lifting of paddy and questioning Naveen’s continued absence in the House. Soon after the House was adjourned by Speaker Surya Naryan Patro, the BJP legislators set off for Naveen Nivas on foot in search of the “missing” chief minister. The ruling BJD legislators followed them on the pretext of guiding them to the chief minister’s residence while they continued to insist on an apology from Panigrahi. The BJP maintained that its legislator had done nothing wrong as he was only trying to highlight the farmers’ problems and the failure of the government.
The BJP lawmakers claimed that they were searching for the chief minister who turns up at all the programmes of his party but remains absent in the Assembly. “We tried to meet the leader of the House in the Assembly and at the Lok Seva Bhawan (state secretariat). We could not find him there. So we went to Naveen Nivas in the hope of finding him there and discussing with him the issue of farmers’ plight,” said BJP legislator Mohan Majhi.
The entire 2km route from the Assembly to Naveen Nivas was jampacked with police and activists of the ruling BJD and the BJP, which is the principal Opposition party. Police had a tough time handling the situation as the lawmakers of both the parties marched to the chief minister’s residence. The situation turned tense as soon as the BJP legislators reached Naveen Nivas and sat on a dharna demanding that the chief minister should come out to talk to them. Though ministers, including Bikram Keshari Arukh, Samir Ranjan Das, Tukuni Sahu and government chief whip Pramilla Mallick pleaded with the BJP leaders to go inside Naveen Nivas for a discussion, the Opposition leaders refused to oblige and continued to demand that the chief minister should come out and meet them.
As the drama continued, pressure mounted on the government to resolve the stalemate. Finally the chief minister came out of Naveen Nivas and requested the leader of Opposition Pradipta Naik and other BJP legislators to come to his house for a discussion. The BJP lawmakers were given a warm welcome.
After the meeting, Naik said: “The chief minister assured us that paddy of farmers will be lifted from the mandis. Besides, he assured to take steps to end the ongoing stalemate in the House. Following his assurance, we decided to leave.”
Naik said they also urged the chief minister to come to the Assembly and sit in his chamber. The BJD legislators, on the other hand, said the chief minister had shown the character of a true statesman by coming out of his residence to meet the agitating BJP lawmakers. “It was a fruitful discussion. We are hopeful of normalcy being restored in the House,” said parliamentary affairs minister Arukh.
