Hostage crisis: Itsintelligence failure

BHUBANESWAR: The Italian hostage crisis figured in the Assembly for the second day on Tuesday with Opposition Congress alleging intelligence failure as the incident came to light through media four days after the foreigners were abducted by Maoists.Though the two Italians were abducted by the Maoists on March 14, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told the Assembly on Monday that the Government had come to know about it from media only on March 17, Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh said in the House.It showed that the whole intelligence system of the State Police had failed since such a serious matter came to the notice of the Government through media, he said.Singh demanded that the House should be adjourned to discuss the admissibility of an adjournment motion notice on the issue. He  also asked the Government to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the abduction issue.Expressing concern over the fact that talks for release of the hostages have not started, Singh criticised the State Government for its lack of seriousness.Speaker Pradip Amat, however, said he would not allow a discussion on the sensitive issue in view of the safety and security of the hostages. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Raghunath Mohanty also observed that the issue should not be discussed in the House at length as the Chief Minister is keeping them informed through statements.Amar Prasad Satpathy (NCP) also maintained that it would not be proper to discuss the issue through an adjournment motion notice. He, however, maintained that the members have a right to know about the developments.