Bhubaneswar, March 11 Opposition parties in the Assembly on Wednesday accused the Odisha government of having no concern for the state's citizens stranded in the Gulf countries amidst the ongoing conflict.
The issue was debated in the House through a motion for adjournment moved by Chief Whip Pramilla Mallik and Pratap Keshari Deb.
Initiating the debate, BJD MLA Arun Kumar Sahoo asked whether the state government has any plan to bring back the Odia people who are stranded in the middle of the war.
"Although the BJP came to power highlighting 'Odia Ashmita' (Odia pride), it forgot how to provide security to the people in difficult times. It appears that the state's BJP government has left the people to their own fate," Sahoo said, alleging that the state government has no concern for the people staying in a difficult situation.
BJD member Dhruba Charan Sahoo alleged that the families of the people living in Gulf countries are under severe mental stress. He suggested that the state government bring a resolution in the House to stop the war in West Asia. "Let the Odisha Assembly become the first in the country by making an appeal to stop war," Sahoo said.
The Opposition MLAs said that an estimated 3-4 lakh Odia people, mostly from Kendrapara, Ganjam and Puri districts, are stranded in Gulf countries due to the cancellation of air connectivity.
BJD MLA Captain D S Mishra said: "The people of Odisha want to know what the government's plan is to evacuate people if the war escalates. Has the state government taken up the matter with the Ministry of External Affairs?" he asked.
Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati also criticised the BJP government for remaining engaged in Rajya Sabha polls instead of taking up the concerns of the stranded people in Gulf countries.
The opposition MLAs alleged that the war in West Asia has led to a rise in the price of LPG, and the price of other essential items will also go up. The war must stop, they said.
Responding to the debate, Odisha Labour and Employment minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia said that both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi are closely monitoring the situation since the war broke out in West Asia.
The minister said that the state government has set up a working group to keep a tab on the developments in the Gulf countries, and the IT cell is actively monitoring the social media posts to ascertain the condition of Odias living in those areas.
A toll-free WhatsApp number is also set up to receive messages from the families whose near and dear ones are stranded in the conflict zones.
However, expressing displeasure over the minister's statement, both opposition parties staged a walkout of the Assembly in protest.