Bhubaneswar, December 4: The Odisha Assembly was thrown into chaos on Thursday following controversial remarks made by a ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA about Mahatma Gandhi, which led to a walkout and a silent protest by opposition parties Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress.
The uproar erupted during discussions on the supplementary budget when the BJP MLA allegedly made disparaging remarks about the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Senior BJD leader and Deputy Leader of Opposition, Prasanna Acharya, condemned the comments, claiming that the BJP MLA had distorted India’s independence struggle history and falsely blamed Gandhiji for the Partition of India.
“We are deeply concerned about the BJP MLA’s statement, where he held Gandhiji responsible for the Partition. This is a completely false and baseless claim,” Acharya said, stressing that Gandhiji had opposed the division of India and Pakistan. He further stated that the Mahatma was in Noakhali, West Bengal, during the Partition and had strongly opposed the split of the country.
Acharya emphasized that attributing responsibility for the Partition to Gandhiji is an attempt to distort the historical narrative of India’s freedom struggle, and such remarks in the Assembly were unacceptable.
"We have demanded immediate action from the Speaker. We want the Speaker to take strict measures against the member who defamed Gandhiji. One cannot compare Gandhiji with any political figure, whether it be a Prime Minister, Chief Minister, or an MLA,” he added.
In response to the protests, Speaker Surama Padhy directed Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling and other senior leaders to meet the protesting opposition members near the Gandhi statue and address their concerns.
Minister Mahaling later informed the media that the Speaker had ruled to expunge the controversial remarks from the Assembly's official proceedings. He confirmed that the BJP MLA had issued an unconditional apology for his statement.
“Following the Speaker's ruling, the objectionable words about Gandhiji have been expunged from the records. The member has also tendered a formal apology in the House. The matter has been addressed, and the Opposition members have returned to the Assembly,” Mahaling said.
