SC/ST MLAs continue protest in Assembly despite holiday

Bhubaneswar: SC/ST MLAs of the Opposition BJP and Congress continued their protest on Saturday inside Odisha Assembly on Saturday though it was a government holiday.

Though Speaker Niranjan Pujari had adjourned the House on Friday till Monday, the ST, SC MLAs resumed their protest which entered the fifth day today. They are demanding 38% reservation for ST/SC students in medical, engineering and other technical education institutions as prevalent in general colleges.

“It is pathetic that the CM didn’t even bother to listen our demands. That’s why we tried to convince him by prostrating before him on Friday. But it was of no avail,” Congress MLA Krushna Chandra Sagaria said.

The legislator, however, announced that the Dalit and tribal outfits will hit the streets on the issue and organise protest rallies in all district headquarters on Monday.

“This is the beginning and not the end. We are not going to sit idle. We will show our strength on Monday when protest rallies will be organised across the State,” Sagaria said.

BJP lawmaker Rabindranath Naik maintained that the State government cannot deny the tribal people their genuine demands.