Bhubaneswar, March 16: The contentious Polavaram project came back in focus today with BJD MLAs raking up the issue in the Assembly and protesting against the Centre's support to the project. Yesterday, some BJD MPs had voiced their strong opposition on the issue in the Parliament.

On the second day of the budget session in the Assembly today, Malkangiri MLA Manas Madkami raised the issue and said that the state's interest was being compromised with. "A large swathe of tribal land will be submerged because of the project. Steps should be taken to protect the interests of tribals living in the forestland."

Soon after the issue was raised, the House was adjourned.

Later, BJD MLAs staged a dharna near Gandhi statue and criticised the NDA government's attitude towards the state. While the BJD was united in its fight on this issue, the party faced an embarrassment as two of its members - cooperation minister Damo- dar Rout and MLA Surjya Naryan Patro - engaged in a duel on the issue of defunct cold storage and non-obedience of Rout's order by the registrar of cooperative societies.

BJD leader and industries and school and mass education minister Debi Prasad Mishra said: "The Polavaram issue has exposed both the BJP and the Congress. The present central government is no different from the erstwhile Manmohan Singh government, which supported the Polavaram project with a political motive."

Health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said: "The state government will continue to fight to protect the interest of the tribal population. The NDA should make it clear whose interest it is trying to protect."