Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly was yesterday adjourned sine die eight days before schedule, following pandemonium by opposition Congress members demanding the resignation of Revenue Minister S N Patro.
When the House assembled, opposition members were already in the Well displaying banners demanding Patro's resignation, accusing him of misleading the House on central assistance for cyclone Phailin.
They tried to enter Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat's dais, leading to interruptions in the House proceedings. Senior Congress MLA Debi Prasad Chand even tugged the Speaker's mike. Some activists of a farmers organisation shouted slogans from the visitors gallery even as a protester attempted to jump off.
The activists, demanding a better deal for farmers, were later identified to be members of Nav Nirman Krushak Sangathan and were taken into custody by security personnel.
Though Amat tried to pacify the angry legislators his attempts failed and he was forced to adjourn the House four times before government Chief Whip Pravat Tripathy moved a motion for sine die adjournment.
The House needed to be adjourned sine die because of the unruly behaviour of the opposition members who threw papers targeting the Speaker and damaged public properties, Tripathy said while bringing in the motion.
The proposal was accepted by the Speaker who adjourned the House sine die amidst pandemonium.
Amat also accepted a motion by the government chief whip and suspended Debi Prasad for a day for breaking the mike and hurling a banner at the podium.
Protesting the speaker's announcement, Chand sat on a dharna in Well of the House.
Congress members subsequently went on a dharna near the Mahatma Gandhi's statue on the assembly premises and met Governor S C Jamir urging him to call for video clippings of the House to ascertain the truth.
The winter session, which started on November 28, was scheduled to conclude on December 26.
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