Decision to drop question hour triggers row

SUBRAT DAS Bhubaneswar, Sep 9: The decision to drop the question hour during the coming monsoon session of the State Assembly has triggered a massive controversy. The State Assembly authorities justified that they had taken this decision in consultation with the Parliament and various other state assemblies in view of the Covid pandemic. "If the speaker suspends the question hour, he and the ruling BJD members will sit inside the house. But we the opposition members will sit outside the house with the people," said firebrand Congress legislator Tara Prasad Bahinipati. By suspending the question hour the Speaker and the ruling party are curtailing the democratic rights of the MLAs and especially opposition party, said leader of opposition Pradipta Kumar Naik. However, the ruling party MLAs and the Speaker defended the decision citing the instance of the Parliament session. Senior BJD MLA Amar Prasad Satpathy said that the Speaker was not suspending the entire question hour business. The replies to the unstarred questions would be tabled in the house. Assembly sources said a proposal has been sent to the Governor for summoning the monsoon session commencing from September 26. The Odisha Assembly will be held by adhering to the Covid-19 guidelines. This was informed by Assembly Speaker Dr Surjya Narayan Patro after chairing a meeting on September 7. Patro said that Covid test will be conducted for the MLAs, ministers and all ministerial staff of the concerned ministers and the officials of the Assembly secretariat. Only those who test Corona negative will be allowed to attend the session. The second test will be held after five days. If any MLA is tested positive, will not be allowed to attend the session and will be asked for home quarantine in his/her government quarter. No people from any assembly constituency will be allowed to enter into the Assembly premises. A special session of the State Assembly was held on March 30 at Lok Seva Bhavan instead of State Assembly in view of the Corona pandemic. A limited number of MLAs and staff were allowed to attend the session. But this time the session is being held in the Assembly premises as usual.