Odisha Assembly: Bhubaneswar,(Reporterspen), Nov 26: The Odisha Assembly was brought to a standstill on the opening day of its winter session on Tuesday due to protests by opposition members over the omission of key words in the Preamble of the Constitution displayed in the building.
Opposition members, particularly from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), raised a strong objection to the deletion of the words ‘secular’ and ‘socialist’ from the Preamble displayed on Constitution Day. The issue was brought to light by senior BJD MLA and former Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain, who described the omission as an “affront to the Constitution.”
Swain, an eight-time Athagarh MLA, pointed out that the Supreme Court had just the previous day dismissed petitions seeking the removal of these words, making the omission in the Assembly’s display even more problematic. He expressed regret over the absence of the words, calling it “unfortunate.”
Congress legislators also joined the protest, calling the omission regrettable. Amidst the uproar, the House was unable to proceed with its business and was adjourned until 4 pm.
Earlier, the session began on a contentious note, with the Assembly being adjourned until 12:25 pm due to protests by opposition members over the mango kernel death issue. As soon as the Question Hour began, opposition members disrupted the proceedings with protests over various issues, leading to further interruptions.
