Bhubaneswar, Aug 17: The BJD and Congress have boycotted the two-day orientation program for newly elected MLAs that began today, with no party members or leaders in attendance.
The ruling BJP has stated that the program is not political and accused the opposition of hindering the MLAs' participation by raising irrelevant issues.
Deputy Chief Whip of BJD legislature party Pratap Deb defended the boycott, emphasizing respect and tradition. He criticized the choice of the Union Minister as the chief guest, arguing that it disrespects the Chief Minister and undermines established norms.
“A separate orientation session will be held on August 25th at Sankha Bhawan, where senior MLAs will train the newcomers," he informed.
Similarly, BJD MLA Sarada Prasanna Jena explained the party's boycott of the orientation program, stating, “Our party decided to boycott the training. We think, the program is being conducted in an undemocratic manner, which undermines the dignity of the Assembly.”
Worth mentioning, a two-day orientation program for newly elected MLAs started today at the Odisha Assembly. It was inaugurated this morning by Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and chaired by Speaker Surama Padhy. The event was attended by Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, along with Deputy CMs Kanak Bardhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, other party leaders and MLAs. Rijiju addressed the the newly elected MLAs, providing guidance on their roles and responsibilities in the House.
Both ruling and Opposition party senior leaders are scheduled to provide training to the new MLAs on participating in Assembly proceedings and understanding the rules.
