Bhubaneswar, Dec 14 (Odisha.in) A legislature of opposition Congress party created an unruly scene in Orissa assembly when he jumped to the speaker’s table and slept on it for a while on Tuesday seeking chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s resignation over Vedanta university issue.
The high voltage drama was enacted when more then 50,000 Congress men and women who came from various parts of the state held a massive rally outside the assembly seeking Patnaik’s ouster for his failure to protect the interest of the state.
The trouble began during question hour after speaker Pradip Amat refused to entertain a point of order the leader of opposition Bhupinder Singh raised to know the status of the land acquired for the university project in view of a recent court order.
Protesting the speaker and shouting slogans against chief minister Naveen Patnaik the Congress members trooped into the well. Some rushed to the speaker’s podium and tried climb on it.
Although assembly staffs prevented them, Rajendra Chatria the Congress member from Kuchinda constituency however climbed on to the speaker table and slept on it for awhile, forcing the speaker to adjourn the house. The house was also adjourned number of times and finally for the day subsequently after the uproar continued.
“The government is taking us granted. It has no respect for the leader of opposition” a Congress leader said adding that they had no other way to protest. “This is unfortunate (the behaviour of the Congress members)” chief minister Naveen Patnaik told reporters.
A delegation of his ruling Biju Janata Dal later met the speaker and demanded action against the Congress member.
The Orissa High Court last month quashed the process of land acquisition for the Rs.150 billion ($3.5 billion) university project and directed the state authorities to return the acquired land to its owners.
The multi-disciplinary Vedanta University was to come up in over 6,000 acres of land on Konark-Puri marine drive, some 60 kms from here. The university has been planned by Anil Agarwal Foundation, promoted by Anil Agarwal, industrialist and chairman of London listed Vedanta Resources.
“It was the beginning. We will take the issue to the people. We will organize such rallies in the districts, block, panchayats and villages” state congress president K.P.Singh Deo said.
Odisha.in