Friday, November 28, 2008

Orissa House Adjourned after Pandemonium


Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was left red-faced on Wednesday as Bharatiya Janata Party legislators disrupted proceedings in the Assembly reiterate their demads for the immediate arrest of the killers of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Lakshmanananda Saraswati.

Coalition Dharma notwithstanding, BJP legislators, part of the ruling alliance, rushed to the well and raised slogans. They criticised the government for its failure to arrest those involved in the assassination.

The pandemonium continued despite repeated requests from speaker Kishore Mohanty and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Raghunath Mohanty.

With the chaos continuing to prevail, the speaker adjourned house proceedings twice, with the MLAs repeatedly filling in the well. He adjourned the proceedings till Thursday.

The ensuing melee also saw legislators of the opposition Congress also rushed to the well, demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister. Opposition leader and veteran Congressman J.B. Patnaik said the Chief Minister should step down as the BJP had lost faith in the government.

Cracks in the ruling BJD-BJP alliance were visible on Tuesday, when the BJP boycott the joint legislature party meeting called by Chief Minister Patnaik.

Leader of the BJP legislature party Biswabhushan Harichandan informing journalists said his party was not satisfied with the action taken by the police in the case pertaining to the killing of the VHP leader.

The party was also unhappy over the issue of conversion. Lakshmanananda Saraswati and four others were killed at an ashram in Kandhamal district on August 23. The incident had led to widespread anti-Christian violence in the State.

The Crime Branch of the State police is investigating into the murder, and three suspected Maoists have been arrested.

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