Bhubaneswar, Feb. 13: The Assembly today witnessed uproar over the issue of regional disparity in the recruitment of candidates from other districts in the western and southern regions, forcing an adjournment tillMonday.

Opposition Congress members stormed the Well, forcing a series of adjournments. Finally, Speaker Niranjan Pujari adjourned the proceedings for the day as normality could not be restored in the House.

Earlier, raising the issue during Zero Hour, Congress chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati said widespread resentment had been created especially in undivided Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput (KBK) districts and other western districts due to appointment of candidates from other districts.

'Several local persons, who had been temporarily working in the Class IV posts, were thrown out of employment and persons from outside the districts such as Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack and Kendrapara were appointed in their place,' said Bahinipati, stating that this had rather created regional imbalance.

Demanding that these posts be declared as district cadre to accommodate the local unemployed youths, he said: 'Or else, it will aggravate the public anger and spur demands for separate state.'

Members cutting across party lines supported Bahinipati. Ruling BJD members Susant Singh, Balabhadra Majhi and Padmanabha Behera supported Bahinipati's demand for cancelling the recruitment of outsiders.

As noisy scenes prevailed in the House over the issue, the House was adjourned twice for 20 minutes and later for another 20 minutes, then till3pmand finally for the day. Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra said that since this was a serious and sensitive matter, an all-party meeting should be held in the Speaker's chamber to sort out the matter. 'If the public anger is not cooled down, it will lead to explosive situation,' he warned.

Deputy Speaker Sananda Marandi, who was presiding in the House earlier in the day, said he would convey the suggestion to the Speaker. However, no meeting was called today.