Bhubaneswar: Opposition Congress and BJP
on Wednesday walked out of the Orissa Assembly expressing their
displeasure over the state government`s reply on alleged delay
in tabling of the special report of Lokpal on the Vedanta
University issue.
The issue was discussed in the Assembly through an
adjournment motion where opposition members demanded immediate
tabling of the Lokpal`s special report to the Governor on land
acquisition for the controversial Vedanta University in Puri
district.
Even as the Lokpal had submitted his special report to
the Governor on May 3, 2011, it was not tabled deliberately in
the assembly due to adverse remark against the chief minister
and his office by the ombudsman, alleged the leader of
opposition Bhupinder Singh of Congress before walking out of
the House.
Stating that the Lokpal`s annual consolidated report
had not been tabled in the House since 2005-06, Singh said
that the ombudsman had to submit a special report with the
Governor as the state government did not comply with its
earlier report on March 17, 2010.
While the report had already been made available to
media and made public, the government intentionally kept it
under wraps for the members of the Assembly.
"Our rights as members of this House are denied by the
government," said Congress chief whip Prasad Harichandan
adding that he had been informed that the Governor had
yesterday written a letter to the state government suggesting
it to table the special report in the House.
"Are you tabling the report during this session of the
Assembly," Harichandan asked.
BJP member Jaynarayan Mishra and party`s legislature
party leader K V Singdeo also criticised the state government
for not tabling the Lokpal`s annual report annually.
Replying to the debate, Parliamentary Affairs Minister
Raghunath Mohanty on behalf of the public grievances and
pension administration, said that Lokpal`s annual consolidated
report for the year 2010-11 had already been approved by the
state cabinet and steps were being taken to place it before
the Assembly.
Mohanty also informed the House that Lokpal had so far
submitted 30 special reports of which six had been placed
before the Assembly.
"The government had sent 24 other reports to
concerned departments for preparation of explanatory
memorandum. Those would be placed before the assembly after
getting approval of the cabinet," Mohanty said.
However, Mohanty`s reply failed to satisfy the
opposition Congress and BJP members who walked out separately.
PTI
