Biju statue defacement;Assembly adjourned for second day

Bhubaneswar,Aug 02 (UNI) The Orissa Assembly was adjourned till lunch today after transacting only the question hour as the treasury bench members and the Opposition stalled the business over the defacement of a statue of Biju Patnaik.

Yesterday it was the treasury bench which stalled proceedings over the issue forcing the Speaker to adjourn the house for the day after the zero hour.

Today the Opposition took the lead and disrupted business soon after the question hour forcing Speaker Maheswar Mohanty to adjourn the house thrice and finally for lunch.

Trouble began during the zero hour when women BJD MLAs trooped into the well demanding a statement from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over the defacement of the statue by miscreants at Raghunathpur in Jagatsinghpur district on July 28.

As the chief minister entered the house,the Speaker directed him to make a statement but the Opposition took exception to it and demanded that the house discuss the matter instead of a mere statement from the leader of the House.

When the chief minister stood up to make a statement, the Opposition rushed into the well shouting slogans opposing his statement.

Soon pandemonium prevailed inside the well with both treasury bench and Opposition shouting slogans and counter slogans.

The Speaker tried to pacify them but the Opposition remained adamant. He then adjourned the house for 15 minutes. It reassembled but witnessed noisy scenes inside the well forcing the Speaker to adjourn the house for another 30 minutes.

He again adjourned the house till lunch to 1500 hours when unruly scenes continued to prevail inside the well.

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