Other States - Orissa   

Opposition sticks to its guns

BHUBANESWAR: Pandemonium continued to prevail in the Orissa Assembly for the fifth consecutive day on Friday with the Opposition showing no change in its stand that a discussion be held on its motion on the farmers’ agitation over Hirakud reservoir water and a voting on the question whether the water was meant for farmers or industries.

Unruly scenes were witnessed from the moment the House assembled at 10-30 am as per schedule.

Even as the question hour started with Transport Minister Jayanarayan Mishra replying to a question, the Opposition legislators rushed to the well of the House holding banners and placards in their hands.

Speaker Maheswar Mohanty wanted to continue with the question hour, but in vein. Legislators of the Congress and other opposition parties kept on raising slogans against the government blaming it for ignoring the farmers’ interests to serve the cause of corporate houses.

As chaos continued to prevail, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings till 3 pm, just 13 minutes after the beginning of the assembling of the House.

When the House reassembled at 3 pm, Deputy Speaker Prahallad Dora adjourned the proceedings till Monday.

The proceedings continues to be affected from the opening day of the winter session on Monday with the Congress-led Opposition insisting on a special discussion on the farmers agitation against diversion of water from Hirakud reservoir to industries.

The Government too has moved a discussion on the farmers’ agitation and the lathicharge of November 6.

The stalemate in the Assembly, however, continues as the Government was against the Opposition demand for a voting on the question whether Hirakud water was meant for agriculture or industry.

The ruling and the opposition have not been to reach consensus on the mode of discussion despite several meetings by the business advisory committee of the Assembly. As the crisis persists in the Assembly, Congress has announced to hold a rally in Sambalpur on December 2 to extend its support to the farmers’ demands.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

All set for ‘Baliyatra’ festival
Sculpture with a filmi touch
New website launched
NCC cadets in traffic management
Six thefts on the same night
CPI(M) team visits arson-hit village
‘Lack of transparency in rural job scheme’
Ganja plantations worth Rs. 1.50 cr. destroyed
Netaji’s first school turns 125
Opposition sticks to its guns

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu