The political heat over the demand for setting up of a High Court Bench in western Odisha has become intense on Tuesday in the State Capital here with the Opposition Congress and BJP and the ruling BJD trying to take mileage over the issue ahead of the general elections.
As the Congress and BJP raised the issue in the Assembly on the first day of the Winter Session on Tuesday to show their solidarity with the western Odisha people, the ruling BJD MlAs belonging to the western Odisha districts were not far behind.
To counter the onslaught, the BJD MlAs of western Odisha led by Pushpendra Singh Deo hurriedly organised a dharna near the Mahatma Gandhi statue inside the Assembly premises supporting the demand.
Singh Deo also met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and submitted a memorandum to intervene in the issue and take steps so as to enable the western Odisha people to get their rightful demand of the High Court Bench.
Asserting that they strongly support the ongoing agitation on the issue, the ruling party MlAs in their memorandum urged the Chief Minister to intervene in the matter and request the Odisha High Court again to consider the genuine demand.
They also expressed their gratitude to the Chief Minister for his repeated request to Chief Justice of High Court for establishment of a Bench in western Odisha.
They also urged the Chief Minister to request the Union Government to initiate necessary positive steps for establishment of the High Court bench in their particular region. Stating that the long standing demand of the people of Western Odisha is just and proper, they said that considering the manifold increase in the population, there is a need for a Bench in western Odisha.
At the time of establishment of Odisha High Court at Cuttack in 1948, the population of the State was 86 lakh, but at present the population has exceeded 4 crore, they argued.
Besides, in their memorandum, they pleaded that western Odisha is inhabited by weaker sections of the society including SC, ST, OBC, industrial workers, agricultural workers and daily wagers, who can ill-afford to travel the State High Court at Cuttack in every case.
Among others, Padmanav Behera, Sanjeev Kumar Pradhan, Pushpendra Singh Deo, Sanjeev Kumar Sahoo, Sashanta Singh, Ramakanta Seth, Bhagaban Kanhar, Sharada Prasad Nayak and Rajendra Dholkia participated in the dharna and met the Chief Minister at the State Secretariat.