Bhubaneswar: Pandemonium prevailed in the state Assembly Tuesday as BJP members created commotion alleging non-allocation of any budget for an irrigation project announced by the BJD government for poll-bound Bijepur in Bargarh, while Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik refuted the saffron party’s allegation and, instead, accused it of ‘shedding crocodile tears’.
Uproar by Opposition members stalled the House proceedings for hours leading to its adjournment twice till 3pm. As soon as the House convened for the day, BJP members stormed into well of the House and slammed the state government for not making any allocation in the supplementary budget for the Gangadhar Meher Lift Canal System in Bargar district.
The BJP members shouted anti-government slogans and alleged that the government has shown disrespect to the eminent 19th century poet Gangadhar Meher, after whom the project is named, by not allocating any fund for it.
Unable to rein in the members, Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat first adjourned the House till 11.30 am.
Soon after, BJP members staged a dharna near Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Assembly premises, accusing the state government of misleading the people.
He said naming the irrigation project after Gangadhar Meher is proof of this.
Even after the House reassembled, BJP members continued shouting in the well, while Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was making a statement on the issue.
The Chief Minister asserted that the allegation of non-allocation of funds for Gangadhar Meher Lift Canal System is not true and asked the BJP MLAs to stop shedding ‘crocodile tears.’
In the annual budget for the 2017-18 fiscal, Rs 1.5 crore has been allocated under pre-project activities of pipeline projects including the Bijepur Lift Irrigation Project, he said.
One of those 58 projects, Bijepur Lift Irrigation Project, has recently been renamed as Gangadhar Meher Lift Canal System and it would be reflected in the outcome budget of water resources department, the Chief Minister said.
Moreover, the government has created a working division at Bijepur with one executive engineer, three assistant executive engineers and six junior engineers with other support staff to look after this project, he said.
Soon after the CM completed his address, the Speaker adjourned the House till 3pm due to the pandemonium.
Later, talking to the media, Patnaik blasted the saffron camp again asking them “not to shed crocodile tears and act immediately on the bridge project over Brahmani river.”
In response, BJP MLA Pradeep Purohit hit back alleging that the CM has misled the House on this issue.
On the other hand, Congress chief whip Taraprasad Bahinipati alleged that there is a tacit understanding between BJD and BJP and both have stalled the proceedings of the House deliberately. “As Congress had decided to raise the issue of atrocity on women in the state, the proceedings of the House were stalled intentionally by the BJD and BJP members,” Bahinipati said.
The BJD and BJP members, however, rubbished the allegations.
PNN
