BHUBANESWAR: A determined Opposition continued to stall the proceedings of the Assembly for the fifth consecutive day on Saturday on reservation issue alleging the state government is depriving the scheduled categories and the OBCs of their due as per the population count.
As soon as the Assembly met for the day, BJD and Congress members trooped into the well of the House over non-implementation of reservation for STs, SCs and OBCs as per the quota.
Government chief whip Saroj Pradhan moved a censure motion against BJD MLAs Romancha Ranjan Biswal and Madhab Dhada for their unruly behaviour in the Assembly on Friday. The two had attempted to climb onto the Speaker’s podium with the help of some other members over the hooch tragedy in Ganjam district. The motion was adopted through a voice vote.
Unable to run the House due to the pandemonium created by Opposition members, Speaker Surama Padhy adjourned the Assembly for an hour, suspending the question hour.
When the House reassembled, leader of the Congress legislature party Rama Chandra Kadam drew attention of the Speaker to a report on admission to medical colleges beginning August 29 published in the August 23 edition of The New Indian Express during zero hour. He said process has started for admission to 1,863 MBBS and BDS courses but the state government has completely ignored the reservation due of 94 per cent students which was constitutionally mandated. He said only 20 pc reservation is allocated to the SC and ST categories as against their due of 38.75 pc while the OBCs who constitute 54 pc of the state’s population are getting nothing.
While ST and SC student are losing about 255 MBBS seats, he said, OBC students who are entitled to 27 pc reservation are set to lose 367 seats. The Congress members demanded that the admission starting from August 29 be rescheduled till reservation to the three categories is maintained. The Congress members rushed to the well of the House. The BJD members joined them too. The Speaker was forced to adjourn the Assembly till 4 pm.
BJP MLA Tankadhar Tripathy criticised the former BJD government. “What has the BJD done for OBCs in the last 24 years?” he asked.