Speaker adjourns Odisha Assly till 3 PM as deadlock continues

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, May 16:

Deadlock prevailed in the Odisha Assembly even after it reassembled today after a two-day recess as Opposition members belonging to the SC and ST community who are on dharna inside the well of the House over the implementation of the Odisha Reservation of Vacancies (ORV) Act shouted slogans at the start of Question Hour forcing Speaker Niranjan Pujari to adjourn the House till 3 PM.

“Opposition Adivasi and Dalit members are on a dharna over a five-point charter of demands since May 11, the government is yet to give any assurance neither has the Chief Minister held any discussion with the members. This is most unfortunate. Even members were on dharna on Saturday and Sunday which were holidays. We will continue with our dharna till our demands are met with. If our demands are not fulfilled in the current session of the House we will continue with our dharna in the next session,” said Rabi Naik BJP MLA.

“SC&ST MLAs are on dharna for the last six days but it’s strange the government is yet to react.The Speaker and Ministers  have only formally requested us to withdraw our dharna but have none has uttered a word to discuss our five-point charter of demands. We will continue with our stir till our demands are met with,” stated Congress MLA Prafulla Majhi.

“Forty percent of the population of the state happen to be Adivasis, we are representing them. But the government is not prepared to listen to them. Whatever arguments they are trying to put forth as obstacles in fulfilling our demands like Supreme Court verdict, there is no truth in them,” he added.

“Today the House was not adjourned for disruptions caused by the MLAs of the Opposition. The Speaker on his arrival in the House hurriedly adjourned it. It seemed as if the was in a hurry to attend nature’s call. He has adjourned the House on instructions from the Treasury Bench,” stated Opposition Chief Whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati.