Speaker of the Orissa Legislative Assembly Pradip Kumar Amat on Tuesday appeared a little calm and said he would once again convene an all-party meeting to convince the Opposition Congress and BJP to participate in the Assembly business.
The Speaker had earlier said that even if the Opposition parties did not attend the proceedings, the House would pass the Appropriation Bill scheduled to be presented in the House on July 31.
The Congress and BJP had taken serious exception to the Speaker’s remark saying the Speaker was behaving in a “partisan” manner without trying to take the Opposition into confidence.
The Congress and BJP have boycotted the Assembly business since July 17 demanding resignation of urban development minister Badrinarayan Patra and mass education minister Pratap Jena alleging that the two ministers were involved in a multi-crore coal scam.
Earlier, two all-party meetings convened by the Speaker had failed to end the impasse as the ruling BJD and the Opposition refused to budge from their respective stands.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik dismissed the Opposition’s demand as “unjustified” and said his ministers were no way involved in the coal scam.
“The ruling BJD is creating new precedents. Never before 2005, had the House functioned without the presence of the Opposition for so many days. It has passed demands of over 14 departments without the Opposition,” Congress chief whip, Mr Prasad Harichandan, said.