New Delhi: The Congress accused the ruling BJP in Odisha of creating chaos in the state Assembly Tuesday to avoid questions about missing women and children and wondered for how long the government will run away from the issue.
The Odisha Assembly Tuesday witnessed ugly scenes as members of the BJP and opposition Congress scuffled in the well of the House prompting Speaker Surama Padhy to adjourn the proceedings till noon.
Tension erupted in the House when senior BJP lawmaker Jaynarayan Mishra rushed towards Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati, who was standing in front of Urban Development Minister K C Mohapatra when the minister was replying to a question.
ओडिशा के मुख्यमंत्री मोहन चरण माझी ने विधानसभा में खुद बताया कि साल 2020 से 2024 के बीच 36,000 से अधिक महिलाएं और 8,400 बच्चे लापता हुए हैं।
लेकिन सवाल है कि आखिर ये महिलाएं और बच्चे कहां गए?
ओडिशा की जनता भी BJP सरकार से यही सवाल पूछ रही है। महिला सुरक्षा से जुड़े इस गंभीर… pic.twitter.com/kvjVakMMxp
— Congress (@INCIndia) March 10, 2025
Posting a video of the ruckus in the assembly, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said, “In response to the disappearance of 44,000 women, the BJP government of Odisha resorted to pushing and pulling in the assembly so that it could avoid questions in the House. The BJP government has devised a great way to avoid questions.”
“But for how long will this government run away from questions? It will have to answer. The House was adjourned for the third day today amid jostling and uproar,” Ramesh said in his post in Hindi.
The Congress, on its official X handle, alleged that when questions were asked to the BJP government on the serious issue of the disappearance of women and children, its MLAs started pushing and shoving in the assembly.
“This shameful act of the BJP shows that they want to avoid questions by disrupting the House. No matter how much the BJP tries, they will have to answer to the people of Odisha. The BJP government and the Chief Minister will have to explain why women and children are not safe in the state,” the party said.
The opposition BJD and Congress members were protesting on separate issues.
While the BJD members demanded a statement from Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi over Mishra’s remark referring to the merger of erstwhile Koshala with Odisha in 1936 as a “historical mistake”, Congress MLAs agitated over the alleged increase in the crimes against women in the state.
This was the second day that the House witnessed turmoil.
PTI