Bhubaneswar: A day after Odisha Assembly was adjourned sine die four days ahead of the schedule, Opposition Congress and BJP on Tuesday attacked Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik saying he is "zero inside the House and a hero outside it" as he "skipped" discussion in the House on burning issues.
"Despite our repeated requests, the Chief Minister neither gave a statement nor participated in discussion in the House on burning issues like chitfund scam," Leader of Opposition and Congress member Narasingha Mishra told reporters.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had on Monday said outside the Assembly that it was "most unfortunate" that the second phase of the session was "continuously stalled" by the Opposition affecting the interest of people and that of the state.
Holding the BJD government and the CM responsible for a virtual washout of the Budget session of the Assembly, the Congress leader said an adjournment motion was given for discussion on chitfund scam. However, it was unfortunate that "the Speaker acted on the instruction of the government and did not allow discussion on the issue", Mishra said.
Stating that the BJD supremo is referred to by some people as "zero inside assembly and hero outside", Mishra said it is for the people to judge whether it was proper on the part of the Chief Minister to make a statement outside the House and "avoiding" participation in discussion inside.
Accusing the BJD chief of acting in an "autocratic manner", he said the way the state Assembly was run showed the Chief Minister's "utter disregard" for parliamentary democracy and well established traditions.
Slamming the CM, BJP state unit president Basant Panda said the Assembly is a forum where issues concerning people are discussed, but it is "unfortunate that BJD and the CM are running away" from discussing issues inside the House.
Describing the Assembly as "temple of democracy", Panda said the House was "insulted" due to the "big ego" of the CM who "failed" to take the House into confidence during the Budget Session. It was unfortunate that Patnaik made a statement outside the Assembly after it was adjourned, the BJP leader said, adding "the Assembly appears to have been mortgaged before the ego of the CM who apparently thinks he is above parliamentary democracy".
He said that adjourning Assembly ahead of schedule and blaming the opposition for it shows the chief minister's "autocratic psyche and meanness". The BJP leader mounted a scathing attack on the ruling BJD for not taking up important issues like irrigation, water scarcity, shortage of doctors and teachers for discussion in the Assembly.
