Odisha Assembly Deadlock as Opposition Demands Health Minister’s Resignation Over SCB Hospital Fire
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly witnessed repeated disruptions today as opposition parties intensified their demand for the resignation of Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling following the devastating fire at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack that claimed 13 lives.
Members of the BJD and Congress stormed the well of the House, accusing the government of negligence and demanding accountability.
Leader of Opposition Pramila Mallik asserted that the minister should step down on moral grounds, citing lapses in hospital safety standards.
Speaker Surama Padhy attempted to restore order by adjourning the House multiple times—first at 11:30 am, then at 1 pm, and finally till 4 pm—but the uproar persisted.
With opposition leaders vowing to continue their protest until the minister resigns, legislative business remained paralysed.
The tragedy has sparked a political storm in Odisha, with the Assembly deadlock underscoring the mounting pressure on the government to act decisively in the wake of the hospital fire.
