BHUBANESWAR: The bloody clash in Posco area rocked the Assembly on Thursday with members cutting across party lines demanding a special discussion. As pandemonium prevailed, Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat adjourned the House repeatedly. A determined Opposition did not allow any business after the Speaker rejected the Congress’ notice for a debate over the law and order situation with special reference to the Posco incident.The Speaker said there is some urgent business for discussion and the Opposition can raise the Posco issue during the Home Department’s demand discussion. Unhappy over the denial, the Congress and the BJP members rushed into the Well shouting slogans.“How can any other matter become so urgent for the House other than yesterday’s violence where one person was killed,” asked Congress Chief Whip Prasad Harichandan. Terming the incident as State-sponsored, he demanded a judicial probe. He sought to know as to who paid Idco to do the road project when the MoU with the company has expired. Besides the Congress and the BJP, two prominent members of the ruling BJD, who hail from Jagatsinghpur district, also sought a discussion, Harichandan said and urged the Speaker to take up the adjournment motion.This is more urgent than any other matter as one contractor with private militia has taken law into his hands to execute a road project and created a reign of terror near the project site, he alleged.Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh sought to know from the Chief Minister how the coastal road project was implemented even after expiry of the MoU long back. He also wanted to know how a worker was killed when there was heavy police deployment at the project site.Congress MLA Santosh Singh Saluja alleged that the attack on the people, opposed to Posco project, was done at the instance of senior BJD leader Pyarimohan Mohapatra. Recalling the Kalinganagar incident, where 12 tribals were gunned down by the police, Leader of the BJP Legislature Party KV Singhdeo said whenever the Government used force for acquisition of land such incidents occurred. He also wanted to know if a tender was floated for the road project.Making a strident attack on the Government, former minister Damodar Rout said the deceased was his supporter and his murder was part of a systematic plan by his political opponent to terrorise his supporters and destabilise his political clout in his constituency. There is complete lawlessness in Paradip area where a private contractor under political patronage is ruling the roost and the police are doing nothing, he charged. Former minister Bishnu Das demanded a probe into the incident and wanted to know how did Idco issue work order to an unregistered firm.
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