Bhubaneswar: The suspension of 12 Congress MLAs from the Odisha Assembly for unruly behavior has sparked strong opposition from the state Congress party. The party has alleged that the Speaker deliberately suspended them as part of a political vendetta. Congress has accused the BJP government in Odisha of engaging in retaliatory politics.
In Karnataka, where the Congress is in power, Speaker UT Khader recently suspended 18 BJP MLAs from the assembly for six months due to disruptive behavior, creating a political uproar.
Congress has alleged that after Karnataka’s Speaker suspended 18 BJP MLAs, the Odisha Speaker suspended 12 Congress MLAs as an act of political revenge.
Karnataka Context
Recently, a Karnataka Congress minister alleged that the BJP attempted to lure 48 Congress MLAs, including himself, through a “honey trap” strategy. Following this statement, the BJP demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter. Subsequently, BJP legislators created an uproar in the Karnataka Assembly by shouting slogans and disrupting proceedings.
As a result, Speaker UT Khader suspended 18 BJP MLAs for six months on March 21, which was strongly opposed by the BJP. The BJP claimed that the Congress government in Karnataka took this action to suppress opposition voices.
Odisha’s Response
Following the suspension of 18 BJP MLAs in Karnataka, the BJP-led government in Odisha has become more vengeful, Congress leaders have claimed. They argue that Odisha’s BJP government is retaliating against Congress for what happened in Karnataka.
For the past 12 days, Congress has been demanding the formation of a House Committee to address the issue. On Wednesday morning, the Speaker convened an all-party meeting but failed to reach a resolution. Later in the afternoon session, he suspended 12 Congress MLAs for seven days.
Congress Legislative Party Leader Ramachandra Kadam strongly criticized this decision, calling it pre-planned and politically motivated. He warned that Congress would intensify its protests in response to the suspensions.
BJP’s Stand
On the other hand, the BJP has dismissed Congress’ claims, arguing that Odisha has no connection with the events in Karnataka. BJP MLA Ashok Mohanty stated that the Congress is disrupting the budget session unnecessarily and accused the party of bringing irrelevant issues into the Assembly, which has been its usual practice.
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