Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly Tuesday witnessed heated debate with the opposition BJP raising the issue of a BJD MLA’s remark during a bureaucrat’s recent visit to Nabarangpur and the ruling BJD coming down heavily on the Centre’s decision to discontinue the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.
The issue of the 5T secretary’s visit was raised during Zero Hour when Leader of Opposition Jaynarayan Mishra criticised the remark of a BJD lawmaker who had described the visit as “CMO has come to Nabarangpur on a visit”.
Taking a jibe at the BJD MLA for describing the 5T secretary as the CMO, Mishra asked, “The 5T secretary can be private secretary to the chief minister, but how can he be the CMO(Chief Minister’s Office)?”
“As we know 5T is being called as team work, technology, transparency, transformation and time limit. Earlier, the BJD leaders claimed that 5T is a concept or a vision of chief minister, but now they are claiming that it is CMO,” the senior BJP leader said.
He said the 5T secretary may be an employee at the CMO, but cannot be the CMO himself.
Referring to the BJD MLAs remark that he would not hesitate to “become a slave in order to serve the people”, the leader of opposition said: “The honourable member needs to uphold the dignity of MLAs. The way he described himself as a slave is uncalled for” .
Congress legislator Santosh Singh Saluja also said that the dignity of MLAs has been defamed by one BJD member’s announcement that he will not hesitate to be a “slave for doing service to the people”.
When Mishra was speaking on 5T, all the treasury bench members created a ruckus over the slashing of 5kg rice by the Centre with the discontinuation of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.
They showed posters in the House alleging Central negligence.
Targeting the BJD members, Mishra said: “Earlier the Odisha government took credit by claiming that it was providing rice at Rs 1 and we do not mind if they distribute it for free after the PMGKAY is stopped.”
Pointing out that the cereal was being distributed free of cost due to COVID-19 outbreak, he said, the relief has been stopped as the pandemic is over.
The state government is free to distribute free of cost rice among the people, Mishra said.
Unable to run the proceedings, the Speaker adjourned the House twice till 12 noon and a discussion was later held on the home department’s demand.
PTI