Bhubaneswar, Aug. 18: Congress and the BJP today opposed the controversial Sindol hydro power project in the Assembly in one voice.

Accusing the Naveen Patnaik government of double standards on the Sindol issue, the Congress demanded scrapping of the project as it would submerge several villages in western Orissa.

Significantly, the Nationalist Congress Party, an ally of the BJD, supported the demand for an adjournment motion on the issue.

Supported by the BJP, the Congress demanded that a discussion on the proposed Sindol project take precedence over the debate on the drought situation slated for later today.

Three districts of western Orissa have been witnessing protests against the government’s move to set up three hydro power units in the region. Cutting across party affiliations, political parties and voluntary organisations have been observing bandhs.

Raising the issue in Assembly during Zero Hour today, leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh said western Orissa was burning over the Sindol issue. The state government would be responsible for the division of the state, he said. Saying that vast swathes of land would be submerged because of the proposed project, Singh said the government was adopting double standards on the Sindol issue. “While the state has moved the Supreme Court against the Polavaram project of Andhra Pradesh arguing that several villages of Orissa would be submerged, it’s ignoring the submergence of villages by the Sindol project,” he said.

Supporting his demand, Congress MLAs trooped into the well shouting slogans against the BJD government for its “anti-people” decision.

However, parliamentary affairs minister Raghunath Mohanty did not give in to the demand for adjournment of the proceedings and said the Spea-ker had allowed discussion on the adjournment motion on the drought situation and that should be taken up first.

BJP legislature party leader K.V. Singhdeo said a number of Assembly segments would be submerged by the project. “The drought can be discussed after the government circulates a white paper on the prevailing situation and the measures taken to tackle it,” he said.

NCP leader Amar Satpathy said the Sindol issue was a serious and sensitive matter since six Assembly constituencies, including that of the Speaker, would be submerged. He urged the Speaker to convene a meeting in his chamber on this issue. Speaker Amat, however, went ahead with the adjournment motion debate on drought.