Bhubaneswar, Mar 24 (PTI) The Odisha Assembly on Monday witnessed noisy scenes with opposition BJD and Congress creating a ruckus over separate issues, prompting Speaker Surama Padhy to adjourn the proceedings several times.

The ruckus started as soon as the House made an obituary reference to MLA Debendra Sharma, who died on Friday.

The Congress and BJD members trooped into the Well of the House making separate demands.

While Congress members demanded the formation of a House Committee to inquire into crimes against women that have taken place in the last nine months, the BJD MLAs sought assurance from the state government for reserving seats for ST, SC and OBC students in different technical education institutions.

While Congress MLAs beat gongs and cymbals to draw the attention of the government towards their demand, the BJD members exhibited placards.

Speaker Padhy's repeated appeals to the agitating members to return to their seats failed to yield any result following which she adjourned the proceedings from 10.45 am to 12.09 pm. After the House reassembled, similar scenes were witnessed, following which she adjourned the proceedings twice till 4 pm.

The House, however, functioned normally and discussions were held on the grant in demand for the Commerce and Transport Department after Congress MLAs staged a walkout. BJD MLAs participated in the discussion.

A group of ministers, led by Revenue and Disaster Minister Suresh Pujari later held a press conference on the assembly premises and blamed the Congress for disturbances in the House.

"It is totally undemocratic and unethical to disrupt the proceedings. We are ready for debates. But the opposition parties are creating ruckus to remain in media glare," Pujari alleged.

"The conduct of both the BJD and the Congress were against the democratic norms. If you want to resolve an issue, come for discussions. The people will decide who is right," he said.

Law Minister Pritihviraj Harichandan, Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Minister Gokulananda Mallick, and BJP MLA Irasis Acharya were present at the press conference.

In a separate press conference at Congress Bhawan, party MLAs led by Rama Chandra Kadam made it clear that they would not cooperate with the government in the assembly unless a House Committee was formed to inquire into the crimes against women.

"The women are being raped, murdered and subjected to humiliation every day in the state and we demand a House Committee comprising MLAs of all parties to probe the matter and suggest the government a stringent law to stop the menace. But the government is refusing to take any visible step to check rising crimes against women. Therefore, the Congress will not cooperate with the government," Kadam said.

The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) has been agitating over the single-point agenda of the House Committee formation to inquire into the crimes against women, since the beginning of the second phase of the budget session on March 7. One of its senior members, Taraprasad Bahinipati, was suspended on charge of unruly behaviour while agitating in the House over this issue.

After the adjournment of the House, the BJD members staged a sit-in near the Biju Patnaik statue while the Congress MLAs sat on a dharna near the Mahatma Gandhi statue.

Opposition chief whip and senior BJD member Pramila Mallik said that they are forced to stage agitation in the Well of the House as the state government denied reservation to the ST, SC and OBC students.

Senior BJD MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain said that STs, SCs and OBCs constitute more than 95 per cent of the state's population but they are denied proportionate reservation in education and jobs. PTI AAM RG AAM ACD

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Ruckus in Odisha Assembly, House adjourned several times

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