Bhubaneswar: Slamming the opposition for repeatedly disrupting assembly proceedings pressing for health minister Mukesh Mahaling’s resignation for the SCB fire, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday said he would never make someone the scapegoat to bolster his own image.Replying to the budget debate before the House passed the Rs 3.10 lakh crore appropriation Bill, Majhi said in the past, bureaucrats often took decisions while ministers were made scapegoats even in minor cases, while some were protected despite involvement in heinous crimes. “I do not believe in such deceptions. Steps have been taken and will continue, following democratic traditions and administrative norms,” Majhi said.His statement comes on a day a 49-member delegation of opposition parties submitted a memorandum to governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, demanding stringent action over the tragedy at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, that claimed the lives of 12 patients.Hitting out at the opposition for stalling proceedings over the March 16 fire, Majhi said while the govt is committed to strengthening health infrastructure, opposition members were “lowering the dignity of the House” by turning the tragedy into political theatre. “More surprising is the weak-strong drama inside the assembly where the opposition is trying to show who is stronger,” the CM said.As the opposition staged a walkout, Majhi said, “This is a democratic system, and people have elected us to serve them.”On the SCB fire, he said action had been taken against officials responsible. Majhi added that people across Odisha knew “whether the chief minister was strong or a particular official was strong” during the previous govt.He said backward-class leadership was being mocked, but the people of Odisha had given a clear verdict. “People are saying — even their own MLAs are murmuring — that after losing the election, the main opposition is still being led by that strong official, not political leaders,” he added.
