Odisha assembly witness pandemonium over recruitment scam

The Odisha assembly on Wednesday witnessed pandemonium after the opposition Congress and BJP members raised the issue of an alleged scam in the assistant executive engineers' recruitment process and demanded a clarification from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, leader of opposition Narasingha Mishra urged speaker Niranjan Pujari to direct the chief minister to give a statement on the large scale irregularities in the recruitment process of AEEs in the works department.

"The chief minister accepting a Twitter suggestion over the recruitment scam ordered an inquiry into the matter. Besides, the issue has reached before the State Administrative Tribunal and is sub-judice. But, what transpired in the night that they (AEEs) were appointed. The house has the right to know," said Mishra.

The chief minister was under a cloud of corruption and he has to clarify the matter, said the opposition leader. "If the chief minister does not give a statement, we will be forced to point fingers at him for his involvement in the scam," said the opposition leader.

The State Administrative Tribunal on October 6 last year ordered the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) not to publish the final result of the AEE recruitment examination without its permission. The OPSC has published the results without getting the permission of the tribunal. A contempt of court case has been filed against the OPSC, said Mishra.

Pressing their demand, Congress and BJP members went to the well of the house and shouted slogans against the state government forcing the speaker to adjourn the house till 3 p.m. BJP legislative party leader Basant Panda told the media that they want a statement from the chief minister over the issue in the house since his department is involved in the scam.

Government chief whip Ananta Das said the chief minister should not give any statement in the house as the matter is sub-judice.