The Assembly and (below) agriculture minister Damodar Rout. Telegraph pictures

Bhubaneswar, March 30: The Assembly today witnessed an uproar with the Opposition members insisting that agriculture minister Damodar Rout should not enter the House because a case was pending against the BJD leader for alleged anti-Dalit remarks.

Rout and ruling party members, however, fought back the allegations that there was no bar on his entry since no warrant was pending against him.

Raising the issue during zero hour, Congress MLA S.S. Saluja said a case had been registered against Rout in Kujang police station under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. It was alleged that Rout had made offensive remarks against Dalits.

Referring to a ruling given by previous Speaker Maheswar Mohanty that an MLA cannot enter the House if there was any warrant pending against him, Saluja wondered as to how Rout was allowed to attend the House and participate in the proceedings.

“How does Rout continue in his office after making offensive remarks against Dalits and after high court refused to grant anticipatory bail to him,” Saluja questioned demanding his resignation.

Countering the Opposition contention, ruling BJD member Kalpataru Das said the previous Speaker had ruled that any member with warrant pending against him/her cannot come to the House. But in the present case, Rout did not have any warrant pending against him.

“Only an FIR has been lodged against him. So there is no bar on his entry into the House,” he argued.

Arguing his case, Rout said: “I have been in the public life for the last four decades. People know about by conduct. I have never committed any criminal offence.”

Rout admitted that he had mentioned at a meeting in Kujang a few months ago that Jagatsinghpur MLA and MP were “harijans”. “But I had no intention to offend them,” he clarified.

“The high court has asked me to appear in the lower court and obtain bail. I have full faith in the judiciary and will abide by the court’s verdict,” he said.