BJD MLAs protest Rail Budget in assembly

Protests happened apart Naveen Patnaik's restrained stand on the matter

The inadequate allocation for Odisha in the Railway Budget today sparked loud protests in the assembly by members of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) notwithstanding the muted criticism of the budget proposals by party supremo and Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik yesterday.

Unlike the UPA years, when Patnaik minced no words to denounce Railway budgets year after year for ignoring the interests of Odisha, he neither condemned nor praised the first Rail budget of the Modi government, though many of his party colleagues felt the Centre had once given a raw deal to the state as far as allocation to projects and running of new trains are concerned.

While the BJD MLAs voiced loud protest against the Railway ministry's insufficient funds for Odisha inside the house, the party's youth wing- Biju Yuva Janata Dal (BJYD) staged parallel protests in the form of dharanas in front of all major railway stations in the state.

The assembly today witnessed a stormy scene during the zero hour after the issue of Railways' neglect towards the state was broached by BJD legislator Mahesh Sahu who was later joined by another party MLA and former minister Amar Prasad Satapathy.

Members of the incumbent BJD were up on their feet, holding up placards, decrying the Rail Budget.

They later staged a walkout from the house and sat on a dharana in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue in the assembly premises, mouthing slogans against the central government.Opposition chief whip and Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati held both the central and state governments responsible for neglect meted out to Odisha. He called for adopting a resolution in the house and sending of a delegation to meet the Prime Minister and the Lok Sabha speaker on the issue.Echoing Bahinipati's views, senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition, Narsingha Mishra demanded the chief minister to convene an all-party meeting on the subject.

“The chief minister must go beyond petty politics and work for the development of the state in real terms”, Mishra said.BJP legislature party leader Basant Panda, however, defended the BJP led NDA combine, stating Odisha received Rs 500 crore more under the new dispensation compared to the previous year.“In the last Budget, the state was allocated Rs 880 crore while this Budget has a provision of Rs 1420 crore. The ruling BJD needs to take the Opposition parties into confidence before making pre-Budget demands”, Panda said.

Meanwhile, members of the BYJD staged dharanas in front of the railway stations, denouncing the Rail Budget for insufficient fund allocation.

While BJD MLA Priyadarshi Mishra and others were seen leading the protest dharna at Bhubaneswar railway station, Pratap Jena and Prabhat Biswal were leading the protest at Cuttack railway station. BYJD and Biju Chhatra Janata Dal will continue with its agitation for three days beginning today.