Odisha Assembly witnessed pandemonium over fuel price hike and teachers strike forcing Speaker P K Amat to adjourn it twice Wednesday.
The ruckus began as soon as the house assembled for the question hour at 10.30 am. Congress members led by the opposition chief whip rushed to well and shouted anti-Centre slogans against the "unusual" hike in fuel prices in the country.
Amidst the agitation by the Congress members, the opposition BJP members stood in their respective seats and shouted slogans against the state's BJD government and demanded that it take immediate steps to end the teachers strike.
Unable to run the House, Amat adjourned the proceeding till 11.30 am.
When the House reassembled, Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra (Cong) came down heavily on the NDA government at the Centre and accused it of "looting" the people and failing to control the hike in fuel prices.
"When the crude oil price in international market was 147 USD per barrel in 2008, petrol was available at Rs 45 a litre. However, when the crude oil price is 70 to 80 USD per barrel, petrol has been sold at the rate of Rs 80 per litre. This shows that the Centre is out to loot the consumers of petroleum products," Mishra said.
He urged the state government to bring petrol and desiel under the purview of GST. "There is no point in blaming each other (state and Centre on reduction of GST on petroleum products). Instead the government should take steps to give relief to the people," the Congress leader said.
The Congress leader also blamed the state government for the teachers strike. "Education is a fundamental rights and this can be provided if we have good teachers," he said adding that the state government should intervene and solve teachers problems.
The teachers have been agitating since August 16 demanding removal of affidavit clause in the newly-announced grant-in-aid system, equal salary for equal work, provision of full aid and several other service conditions.
Mishra said the teachers are demanding regular grant-in-aid and equal facility as availed by the teachers in government schools. "Education system is paralysed in the state due to teachers strike", he added.
None of the BJP members could speak as the House was adjourned again till 12.30 pm due to the vociferous protests.
BJP MLA Pradip Purohit told newsmen outside the Assembly, "Studies in schools and colleges are severly affected as teachers are sitting on dharna in the state capital. The government should take steps to end the strike.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
