It was the ruling BJD that set a noisy agenda in the Assembly on Thursday. As the House commenced after a brief recess, BJD members launched a scathing attack on the Centre for its neglect of Odisha in the rail budget. Not to be outdone, the question paper leak in the Plus 2 examination came in handy for the Congress which too made vociferous protest and sloganeering against the Government.
After the obituary references for Pradip Hota, former MLA from Binka were over, BJD members stood on their seats holding placards which criticised the inadequate funding for different projects in Odisha in the rail budget.
Soon after, the Congress members trooped into the well shouting slogans against the State Government. Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh was heard criticising the Government for the question paper leak. An agitated Anup Sai (Cong) tore a book on the rules and procedures of the House and threw it while other members continued slogan shouting.
Normalcy returned after Speaker Pradip Amat asked the BJD members to take their seats to allow question hour to proceed. Congress members returned from the well only after the BJD MLAs took to their seats. The same issues again rocked the House during zero hour with the Congress and BJP members demanding a high level probe into the question paper leak. Raising the issue, Congress chief whip Prasad Harichandan criticised the State Government for its failure to stop question paper leaks which have become a regular affair.
Even as other Congress members supported Harichandan, Government deputy chief whip Sanjay Dasburma raised the issue of how Odisha has again been neglected in the rail budget 2013-14.
Though the railway generates a revenue of `14,000 cr from Odisha, only `869 cr was provided for the State in this year’s budget as against a demand of `3050 cr.
He demanded that an unanimous resolution should be passed in the House to condemn the Centre’s anti-Odisha attitude.