Congress legislators continued their sit-in near Mahatma Gandhi's statue in assembly premises even as BJP members kept away from the proceedings of the House.
Congress MLAs in Orissa observed a "black day" today as the assembly took up the appropriation bill in the absence of Opposition whose boycott of the House entered the 13th day demanding dismissal of two ministers allegedly involved in multi-crore coal scam.
Slamming the BJD government for leaving two tainted ministers scot-free, Congress legislators continued their sit-in near Mahatma Gandhi's statue in assembly premises even as BJP members kept away from the proceedings of the House.
Wearing black badges and arm bands, Congress MLAs said it was a black day in the history of Orissa assembly as the BJD government kept the Opposition members out of the House in an "anti-democratic and unconstitutional manner while tabling the appropriation bill.
Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh termed the all party meeting called by the Speaker yesterday to resolve the impasse as an "eye-wash" as no effort was made by government to nail Housing and Urban minister Badrinarayan Patra and School and Mass Education minister Pratap Jena in coal scam.
A fresh appeal by speaker Pradip Amat urging the opposition to take part in discussion on appropriation bill also went unheeded.
Congress legislators also carried placards and banners displaying anti-government slogans, while senior BJP leaders accused the Naveen Patnaik government of being insincere and non-serious in probing the coal scam in order to end boycott of the assembly by the opposition members.
"In fact the government does not want opposition MLAs to return to the House," according to senior BJP leader and former minister Jainarayan Mishra.
Accusing the BJD government of shielding the tainted ministers, leaders of Congress and BJP hit out at the chief minister for giving a clean chit to the duo even before completion of investigation by anti-corruption vigilance wing.
"Naveen's certificate is bound to influence the probe by the vigilance wing as it functions under the General Administration department, held by the chief minister himself," said a senior Congress leader.
However, the opposition's boycott of the assembly since July 17 came under sharp attack by some leaders of the ruling BJD who described the act as "irresponsible."
By keeping away from important businesses in the assembly, Congress and BJP legislators have shown disrespect to democratic traditions and failed to discharge their responsibility as people's representatives, a senior BJD leader said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=spacer}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}