Bhubaneswar, July 22: During the ongoing inaugural session of the 17th Odisha Assembly, opposition parties BJD and Congress staged a walk-out protest during Governor Raghubar Das’s address on Monday.

Speaking to the media, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Naveen Patnaik expressed his disappointment and surprise at the government’s inaction against the Governor’s son, who allegedly committed violence against a government officer. Patnaik stated, “My party and I were deeply shocked by the lack of action. Law and order has become a joke in our state. When I was in government, immediate action was taken against ministers, MLAs, MPs, and senior government servants if they broke the law. The state government must act according to law.”

Patnaik explained that this inaction prompted his party to walk out of the assembly at the start of the session.

Echoing a similar sentiment, senior Congress leader Tara Prasad Bahinipati criticized the government, saying, “The BJP formed the government on the issue of Odia Asmita, yet no case has been filed against the Governor’s son, who assaulted an Odia-origin officer, and the Governor delivered his speech in Hindi.”

Bahinipati added, “We demanded that the Chief Minister arrest and take strict action against the Governor’s son. If no action is taken, we will not allow the Governor to speak during the session. We raised the slogan ‘Governor Go Back!’ during the session, leading to our walk-out.”

Powered by Froala Editor