Opposition Parties Create Ruckus In Assembly

BHUBANESWAR: As the country observed Constitution Day, also known as Samvidhan Divas, on Tuesday, opposition BJD and Congress created ruckus in the Odisha Assembly protesting the alleged omission of two key words--"socialist" and "secular"—from the Constitution's Preamble showcased in the House.

Controversy surfaced during the Question Hour when senior BJD MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain raised the issue, prompting his colleagues to storm the well hauling up the govt. Amid the disruption, Speaker Surama Padhy was forced to adjourn the House twice—first till 12:25 pm and later till 4 pm.

"The mysterious disappearance of the two vital words shocked us. The Supreme Court earlier affirmed their permanence in the Preamble as per the 42nd constitutional amendment," Swain told reporters outside the Assembly.

The Congress chipped in, with legislature party leader Rama Chandra Kadam demanding the immediate restoration of the words.

BJP MLA Irasis Acharya termed the opposition's claims as misleading. "The display shows the original 1949 Preamble, before the two words were inserted in 1976," Acharya said. He said that "everyone in the country accepts the 42nd Amendment and the Supreme Court verdict retaining these words."