The second all-party meeting held on Tuesday to resolve the deadlock in the ongoing Budget Session of the Orissa Legislative Assembly failed as the Opposition Congress remained firm in their demand for ouster of two “tainted” ministers of the Naveen Patnaik government.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who attended the meeting, rejected the Opposition’s demand saying it was not acceptable to him. “The Opposition’s demand has no meaning since none of my ministers is involved in the coal scam raised by the Congress.”
Frustrated, the Congress members continued their dharna in front of the Gandhi statue in the Assembly premises and raised slogans against the state government and the tainted ministers.
The Congress is baying for the blood of urban development minister Badrinarayan Patra and mass education minister Pratap Jena alleging that they had misappropriated Rs 120 crores.