BJD seeks RDC probe into liquor deaths

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly on Wednesday was adjourned till 4 pm as Opposition BJD and Congress members shouted slogans over separate issues. As soon as the House assembled for the Question hour, the members of both the BJD and the Congress rushed to the well and shouted slogans against the BJP government in the State and the Centre.

While the Congress members dubbed the BJP government at the Centre as “anti-tribal and anti-Dalit” over the issue of reservation for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes, the BJD demanded a Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC)-level inquiry into the Ganjam liquor tragedy where two persons died and 13 others were hospitalised after consuming spurious alcohol.

Speaker Surama Padhy’s efforts to pacify the Opposition legislators failed as the Opposition members continued to raise slogans from the well of the House. Unable to run the House, the Speaker first adjourned the proceeding till 11.30 am and later till 4 pm.

Opposition chief whip Pramila Mallik of BJD alleged that the State’s BJP government has failed to check the circulation of spurious liquor in the State. “They came to power by giving assurance to regulate illegal liquor trade. However, there is a liquor tragedy where over a dozen of people were hospitalised after consuming spurious country liquor,” Mallik said.

The BJD leader also asked the government to inform the House about the inquiry so far carried out on the liquor tragedy. “We want to know who are involved in the liquor tragedy. Let there be a RDC-level inquiry into the incident,” Mallik demanded.

The BJP MLA, Manoranjan Dyan Samantray, rejected the BJD’s allegation and claimed that the liquor trader from whom the people consumed alcohol was also operating in the area during BJD rule. There is a bid to defame Mohan Majhi government in the State in the name of the liquor death, he said.