Odisha Assembly's Tumultuous Adjournment

The 17th Odisha Assembly session was adjourned sine die two days early due to opposition protests. Members of the BJD and Congress were censured for disrespecting Speaker Surama Padhy and the matter was referred to the Ethics Committee. The session saw the presentation and approval of the 2024-25 Budget.

The first session of the 17th Odisha Assembly was adjourned sine die on Wednesday, two days ahead of schedule, amidst a storm of protests from opposition members.

Speaker Surama Padhy called for the early adjournment following disruptions by BJD and Congress members, who were protesting the adoption of a censure motion against Congress member Taraprasad Bahinipati and BJD members Dhruba Sahu and Braja Pradhan. The opposition trio was accused of showing disrespect towards the Speaker during the session.

The speaker referred the incident to the Assembly's Ethics Committee after two female BJP members filed a petition alleging the use of unparliamentarily words by the trio.

The session, which began on July 22, was supposed to conclude on September 13. Key highlights included the presentation of the BJP government's first Budget on July 25 by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who handles the finance portfolio. The annual Budget of Rs 2.65 lakh crore for 2024-25 was approved during this session.

(With inputs from agencies.)