Bhubaneswar, 25 March (H.S.): Jeypore Congress legislator Tara Prasad Bahinipati has strongly criticized the suspension of 12 Congress MLAs from the Odisha Legislative Assembly, calling it a black day in the history of the Assembly. He labeled the decision as undemocratic and unacceptable, asserting that Congress would not tolerate such injustice.

Bahinipati, who was absent from the Assembly due to illness, called for the formation of a House Committee to investigate the matter. He also accused the BJP of hypocrisy, questioning, Has the BJP forgotten how they staged protests when they were in the opposition? He further raised concerns over why the Speaker did not take action against BJP legislators and Ministers who allegedly used inappropriate language and physically confronted Congress members during House proceedings.

Currently, the Odisha Legislative Assembly has 14 Congress MLAs. With the suspension of 12 members, only Tara Prasad Bahinipati from Jeypore and Ramesh Jena from Sanakhemundi remain active in the Assembly.

In response to the suspension, the Congress party announced plans to hold a gherao protest in front of the Odisha Legislative Assembly on March 27.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda