Bhubaneswar, Feb 19 (PTI) The second day of the Odisha
Assemblys budget session was washed away due to a ruckus
created by the opposition BJP and Congress members who
demanded immediate lifting of paddy from various state-run
mandis.
The assembly failed to transact any business during
the day as opposition MLAs refused to accept Speaker S N
Patro”s repeated requests to participate in the proceedings,
prompting him to adjourn the House several times in the pre-
lunch and post-lunch period.
The Speaker convened an all-party meeting to resolve
the stalemate but no agreement could be achieved.
While Congress members demanded that the House accept
their notice for discussion on alleged irregularities in the
paddy procurement process suspending all other businesses, BJP
MLAs wanted an announcement from the government that all paddy
bags lying in mandis will be lifted within 7 days.
As Speaker Patro did not accept notices of the
Congress and the BJP and wanted the Question Hour to begin,
the opposition members started raising slogans against the BJD
government, alleging that it did not procure paddy from
farmers, due to which they incurred huge losses.
The saffron party members also alleged that farmers
have been waiting at the government-run mandis for several
days but unable to sell their produce as the regulated markets
have stocks of the crop.
Congress legislators led by the party”s chief whip
Taraprasad Bahinipati trooped to the well of the House over
the paddy procurement issues and attempted to climb the
Speaker”s podium.
A few of them tried to remove the fibre shield placed
before the Speaker”s chair and made efforts to snatch papers
from his desk.
Speaker S N Patro”s request to members seeking their
cooperation failed to yield any result forcing him to announce
two adjournments during the pre-lunch session and at least
seven back to back adjournments in the post-lunch session
before convening the all-party meeting.
Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingha Mishra
said that his party will not allow any transaction in the
House until the government comes up for a detailed discussion
on the issue after suspending all other businesses.
“We will not allow the House to function until all the
paddy bags are cleared from the mandis,” Congress chief whip
Taraprasad Bahinipati said.
Outside the House, Leader of Opposition P K Naik of
the BJP said, “We will not cooperate unless the government
gives an assurance to the House that all paddy bags lying in
mandis will be lifted within seven days.”
“It is strange that the government has not been able
to procure Kharif paddy from farmers even as the Rabi crop
season has already started,” he said.
BJP deputy leader in the House BC Sethi said, “The
Centre has been providing funds for paddy procurement, but the
state government is not properly utilising the money.”
BJD vice-president and senior member Debi Prasad
Mishra said, “The opposition members can raise the issue but
they are disrupting the proceedings, which is not desired.”
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Disclaimer :- This story has not been edited by Outlook staff and is auto-generated from news agency feeds. Source: PTI
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