‘Will hit Malkangiri tribals’: Ruckus in Odisha Assembly over Andhra dam project

The Polavaram Dam project in Andhra Pradesh sparked a ruckus in Odisha Assembly on Thursday (July 25), with the Congress slamming the Centre for promoting the project that it says will inundate about 1400 to 1500 hectares of land in Odisha’s tribal-dominated Malkangiri district.

Congress members in the Assembly demanded the formation of a House Committee on the project. Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Rama Chandra Kadam raised the issue during Zero Hour and said the poor tribals of Malkangiri district will be victims of the project.

Demand for House Committee

He said the Centre “promoted the irrigation project in Andhra Pradesh without resolving the problems of the affected people in Odisha”. Kadam demanded that a House Committee be formed to discuss the Polavaram project and its impact on tribal people in Malkangiri district.

Not only tribal people, Kadam pointed out that the Polavaram project’s adverse effect will also impact the forests, wildlife, and the local environment. “The 20 MPs elected from Odisha and the ‘double-engine government’ in the state has failed to protect the interest of the people in Malkangiri district,” the Congress leader said.

“Double-engine government” is often used by the BJP to describe states where it is in power since the central government is also headed by it.

Appeasing TDP?

Alleging that the BJP-led NDA government has been promoting the Polavaram project to protect its government at the Centre to appease Andhra Pradesh’s ruling party, TDP, which is its ally, Kadam said his party would launch a mass agitation protesting the Centre’s act.

Though BJD members remained silent in the House when Congress was raising the Polavaram issue, party president Naveen Patnaik had said in a statement on Tuesday: “We have been fighting for justice in the Polavaram issue. Allocating more and more funds for Polavaram without sorting out the genuine grievances of Odisha shows impartiality against Odisha.”

Demand to expunge remarks

When Speaker Surama Padhy remained silent over the matter, the Congress members led by its senior member Taraprasad Bahinipati rushed to the well of the House and demanded the formation of a House Committee on the Polavaram project.

Bahinipati attempted to climb the Speaker’s podium while Kadam was seen protesting in the House by standing on the reporter’s table.

The Opposition BJD members also joined the Congress MLAs in the well and demanded that Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling’s statement to arrest Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik on charge of creating disturbance during the Governor’s speech in the Assembly on Monday be expunged. BJD members shouted slogans in the well of the House.

Unable to run the House, Speaker Surama Padhy adjourned the House till 4 pm.

Row over ‘arrest’ of Patnaik

Earlier, BJD member and former minister Arun Kumar Sahoo urged the Speaker to delete words like “arrest” of Naveen Patnaik on charge of creating disturbance during the Governor’s speech. He also urged Mahaling to withdraw the word “arrest”.

“If the word ‘arrest’ is not deleted or the minister withdraws his statement, let the government arrest Patnaik if it has the courage to do so,” Sahoo said, seeking a ruling from the Chair (Speaker).

(With agency inputs)