The issue of percentage commission (PC) rocked Odisha assembly for the second consecutive day today with the opposition Congress and BJP demanding a full fleged discussion on the subject.
As the opposition's notice for a debate on percentage commission through an adjournment notice was not accepted by Speaker P K Amat, angry scenes broke out. Unable to run the house, Amat adjourned the proceedings till 3 pm.
Normalcy returned when the house reassembled as the opposition suspended their agitation in view of certain bills to be passed in the House.
Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra of Congress said that there was rampant corruption in rural housing schemes in the block and panchayat levels. BJPLP leader K V Singhdeo said that percentage commission was rampant in different levels and the house should discuss the matter.
As the house assembled for the question hour, Congress and BJP lawmakers rushed to the well and demanded a discussion on prevalence of the percentage commission practice in the govenrment.
Congress chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati had served a notice seeking a discussion on the subject.
"The opposition notice for a discussion on PC was not accepted as the chief minister has no answer on the matter. When opposition members protested against the rejection of the notice, the speaker adjourned the house," Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra of Congress told reporters outside the assembly.
The opposition had sought a discussion on percentage commission in the as the illegal practice has reached its zenith in the state and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had stressed on zero tolerance of it, he said.
The BJP supported the Congress demand.
"As PC collection is rampant in various departments, the quality of work in every sector is diminishing. So we demanded this culture to be stopped at the earliest," BJP MLA Rabi Nayak said.
The ruling BJD, however, denounced the opposition for stalling the house.
"People's issues are discussed during question hour. The Congress deliberately stalled the house. They could have raised the PC issue through their questions and the concerned minister would have replied," Agriculture Minister Damodar Rout said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)