Uproar In Odisha Assembly Over Tribals’ Land Transfer; Opposition Seeks Rollback Of Cabinet Decision

Bhubaneswar: Uproarious scenes were witnessed in the Odisha Assembly on Wednesday with opposition BJP and Congress creating ruckus over the state Cabinet decision for allowing transfer of land by tribals.

Soon after the House assembled for the day, BJP members rushed to the well holding banners and resorted to slogan-shouting. Congress members also opposed the move of the government.

As pandemonium persisted, it became difficult to conduct business and Speaker Pramila Mallik initially adjourned the House till 12 pm. As noisy scenes prevailed after the House reassembled, proceedings were adjourned for another 45 minutes and the Speaker convened an all-party meeting for discussion to ensure smooth conduct of business.

However, efforts to restore normalcy in the House failed to yield as pandemonium continued after it reassembled. The House was then adjourned till 4 pm.

Coming down heavily on the state government, opposition chief whip Mohan Majhi told reporters outside the House that land belonging to tribals is not secure these days. Agricultural land is also being grabbed on the pretext of industries and mines, he claimed.

As BJP demands immediate withdrawal of the decision on transfer of land by tribals, the party had moved a motion seeking cancellation of all business for holding special discussion on the issue, he said.

Though this is a sensitive issue relating to the land of tribals, the request for special discussion in the House was not accepted, the BJP leader said.

Speaking in same vein, Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati termed the move as anti-tribal. The Cabinet decision on transfer of land will affect the tribals adversely, the Congress leader said, while accusing both BJD and BJP of working against the interests of tribals.

It may be noted here that the state Cabinet had approved amendments to some provisions of Regulation-2 of Odisha Scheduled Areas Transfer of Immovable Property Amendment Regulation to facilitate the transfer and mortgage of land belonging to scheduled tribes (STs).

After the move drew strong criticism from the Opposition parties, the government later reportedly withheld its decision.