Ruckus in Odisha assembly as Congress, BJD MLAs demand caste census

Bhubaneswar: Chaos reigned supreme in the Odisha assembly on Tuesday as MLAs of the opposition BJD and Congress demonstrated demanding a cast census in the state, prompting multiple adjournments.

As soon as the House assembled at 10.30 am, BJD and Congress members trooped into the Well, raising slogans demanding a caste census.

They also demanded a proportionate reservation for different categories in admission to technical and medical institutions.

Amid the din, Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati and BJD member Adhiraj Panigrahi along with some other legislators tried to climb the podium where the speaker sits, demanding a ruling from the chair. However, they were stopped by the security.

The ruckus forced Speaker Surama Padhy to adjourn the proceedings multiple times.

To break the impasse, she later convened an all-party meeting.

Similar demonstrations were held in the House on Saturday as well.