A very ‘unpleasant’ scene was witnessed in the State Assembly on Friday morning as some agitating SC and ST MlAs prostrated before Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and some others spread out lower parts of their shirts begging for implementation of the Odisha Reservation of Vacancies (ORV) Act at the earliest.
Nine MlAs belonging to the two categories had been sitting on a dharna at the Speaker’s podium since Wednesday morning. They are demanding 38-per cent seat reservation in medical, engineering and other technical colleges for SC and ST students.
The MlAs are Rabinarayan Nayak, Gobinda Chandra Das and Duryodhan Majhi of the BJP and Dr Prafulla Majhi, Chandrasekhar Majhi, Bhujabal Majhi, Kailash Chandra Kulesika and Krushnachandra Sagarial of the Congress.
Even though Speaker Niranjan Pujari repeatedly requested them to get back to their seats, the MlAs continued to sit at his podium till late in the evening. Pujari adjourned the House for three times as the MlAs didn’t move back to their seats.
Meanwhile, the BJP on Friday announced to hold rallies at all district headquarters on May 16 to press for the reservation demand.