Bhubaneswar: Amid rumours that the current session of the Assembly may be adjourned sine die Wednesday, Leader of Opposition Pradipta Kumar Naik Tuesday sought clarification from the Speaker about the duration of the winter session of the House.
Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Naik said a rumour is doing the rounds that a conspiracy is going on to adjourn the House sine die November 27 while 50 per cent of the scheduled business of the House is yet to be taken up. “Is it true? If so what is the reason for it?” he asked.
As per the notification, the winter session which began November 13 is scheduled to continue till December 19. “If there is no business before the House, why was it not considered before preparation of the schedule?” Naik said.
Regarding discussion on supplementary grants for different departments, the BJP leader said, the government is yet to reply to a number of questions.
Stating that supplementary demand discussions for only five of the total 43 departments have been taken up in the, he said “It will give a wrong message to the people who have elected us.”
He said the duration of the House was also shortened by five days during the last session. As per the Constitution, the House should meet for 60 days in a calendar year, he pointed out.
The BJP leader regretted that the views of the government on a number of issues related to interests of the people have not yet been discussed and the response of the government is not yet known.
The issues included atrocities and murder of women, distress sale of paddy, deletion of name of several beneficiaries from the list of NFSA on the pretext of Aadhaar linking, failure of the government to pay the assistance in installments to farmers under KALIA scheme, complete closure of the state Food Security Scheme and failure of the government to pay compensation to small depositors cheated by the chit fund companies, he listed out.
He also took strong exception to the representation of the BJP in the Business Advisory Council meeting of the House.
The BJP leader said during the last Assembly though the Congress had only 16 MLAs it had three members in the Business Advisory Council meeting.
The BJP, despite having 23 members in the current Assembly, has only one member in the Business Advisory Council meeting. He demanded the Speaker to increase the number of BJP members in the Council meeting to four.