Opposition demands Arun’s resignation, stalls House

BHUBANESWAR: The Assembly failed to transact business on Thursday as BJP and Congress MLAs disrupted the proceedings demanding resignation of Agriculture Minister Arun Sahoo over the alleged murder of minor girl in Nayagarh.The Minister refuted all allegations about his involvement.“The child’s death has devastated and left me heartbroken. In my political life, I have always condemned violence in any form,” the Minister said and welcomed the Crime Branch probe ordered by the government into the incident. 

Stating that he strongly believed that justice will be done to the girl and her family, Sahoo said whoever is the culprit will be punished. The Minister asked the Opposition not to politicise the issue and instead demand justice for girl and her family.  However, as pandemonium continued in the House, Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro adjourned the House till Friday. Earlier, the House had to be adjourned twice as the Opposition members rushed to the well displaying placards as soon as it assembled for the day. The agitating members also showed photographs of the Minister with the main accused. 

Raising the issue, Opposition chief whip Mohan Majhi alleged that earlier also the government had ordered Crime Branch probe into several cases, but none of them have yielded any result. Stating that the Crime Branch probe ordered by the government is an eyewash, he said the BJP members will not allow the Assembly to function till the Minister resigns.

The Congress also demanded High Court-monitored probe into incident and immediate resignation of the Minister. Deputy leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Santosh Singh Saluja alleged that in the past, there have been several allegations against the Minister, but none of those had any impact on his continuance in the ministry. 

Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati also demanded the resignation of the Minister in order to make the Crime Branch inquiry impartial.Unable to run the House, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings first for 10 minutes and later till 3 pm as the Opposition refused to withdraw their protest in the well.Making a statement in the House on Wednesday, Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra had informed that the girl was kidnapped and killed on July 14 and her skeletal remains were found from the backyard of her house on July 23.