Caste Census Demand Disrupts Odisha Assembly Proceedings, Oppn MLAs Try To Climb Speaker’s Podium Again

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly was adjourned till 11.30am on Tuesday as Opposition BJD and Congress created a ruckus, demanding a discussion on caste census.

As soon as the Assembly met for the day, BJD and Congress members trooped into the well of the House. Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati, BJD MLA Adhiraj Panigrahi and others were seen protesting vociferously near Speaker Surama Padhy’s podium demanding a caste census. They also tried to climb on to the podium, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House till 11.30 am.

On Saturday too, the Opposition stalled the proceedings alleging that the ST, SC and OBC candidates were being denied “proper quota” in admission into technical institutions, MBBS and BDS courses, following which the House was adjourned till 4 pm. Referring to admission to medical colleges beginning August 29, the BJD and Congress MLAs alleged that there is only 20% reservation for SC and ST categories as against their due of 38.75% while the OBCs, who constitute 54% of the state’s population, are getting nothing.

The Congress members walked out of the assembly when the House reassembled at 4 pm and staged a dharna near the Mahatma Gandhi statue on Vidhan Sabha premises, demanding proportional quotas for different categories and a caste census in Odisha.