Who Takes Priority: A Union Minister or a State Chief Minister?

This question is at the heart of a political debate as Odisha’s Assembly prepares for a routine orientation program starting Saturday. Opposition parties, including the BJD and Congress, have announced a boycott of the event due to the BJP government’s decision to invite Union ministers. Although the guest list has since been revised to include only Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Harivansh, both of whom have legislative roles, the Congress and BJD remain opposed.

Initially, the two-day training session, scheduled to begin on August 10, was set to feature Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan as the inaugural speaker, BJP president and Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda for the valedictory address, and Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram for another address. Notably, both Pradhan and Oram are from Odisha.

The updated schedule, released by the Assembly Secretariat on Thursday, now has Rijiju inaugurating the program, Harivansh joining the valedictory session, and Oram participating as a speaker. The official explanation for the changes is that Nadda and Pradhan could not attend due to personal reasons.

The BJD has criticized the inclusion of Central ministers in the Assembly event, arguing that it undermines the dignity of the Assembly and diminishes the Chief Minister’s standing. According to BJD chief whip Pramila Mallik, conventions dictate that Assembly functions should involve only those directly connected with the Odisha Assembly. She added that having the Chief Minister share the stage with Union ministers would detract from the state’s prestige and violate federal norms.

Congress has echoed these concerns, with its chief whip C.S. Razen Ekka claiming that the presence of Union ministers undermines the CM’s dignity.

However, Assembly officials dispute these claims. According to the Table of Precedence set by the President of India, a Union Cabinet minister ranks higher than a Chief Minister. Officials also argue that the orientation program, which is held in the Assembly’s conference hall rather than its main hall, is not part of the formal Assembly session and thus does not have the same protocol constraints. They also pointed out that previous BJD-led governments had included Parliament officials with expertise in such programs.

Odisha Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling emphasized that the event is being conducted according to rules, and noted that the program is significant given that 84 of the 147 MLAs in the Odisha Assembly are first-time members. The session aims to familiarize them with legislative procedures, committee functions, budgetary processes, and other essential aspects of their roles.

In the current Assembly, the BJP holds 78 seats, the BJD has 51, the Congress has 14, the CPI(M) has one, and there are three Independent MLAs.