Odisha Assembly Disruptions Over SCB Blaze Continue

The Odisha Legislative Assembly witnessed repeated disruptions on Tuesday as opposition members intensified protests over the recent fire at SCB Medical College and Hospital.

Congress and BJD MLAs stormed the well of the House, demanding strict action and the resignation of the Health Minister.

Carrying placards and shouting slogans, they forced multiple adjournments, with Speaker Surama Padhy suspending proceedings twice in the morning and once in the afternoon.

Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo appealed to the opposition to engage in debate rather than stall proceedings, calling the repeated disruptions “unfortunate.” However, BJD legislators escalated their protest by marching to the Speaker’s podium, while BJP members accused the BJD of deliberately derailing Assembly business to suppress internal dissent.

BJP MLA Tankadhar Tripathy alleged that the ruling party was using Assembly chaos to divert attention from internal rifts, citing reports of 22 BJD MLAs questioning Naveen Patnaik’s leadership at a recent party forum.

BJP leaders, including Chief Whip Saroj Pradhan, strongly condemned the opposition’s behaviour and demanded normal functioning of the House.

Despite appeals, the protests continued into the afternoon session, leaving legislative business paralysed.