BHUBANESWAR: The first day of the winter session of the Assembly started on a noisy note with the Opposition Congress and BJP members creating a ruckus over farmers’ issues forcing Speaker Pradip Amat to adjourn the House for the day.
After the obituary references were over, Leader of the Opposition Narasingh Mishra requested the Speaker to suspend the question hour and allow discussion on farmers’ issues on the basis of the adjournment motion notice given by the Congress members. The adjournment notice of the Congress was accepted by the Speaker for discussion on the day in the House.
However, the Speaker rejected the Congress demand for suspension of the question hour to start discussion on the issue. At this, agitated Congress members rushed to the well of the House shouting slogans against the State Government and demanding a discussion on several issues of the farmers relating to the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of paddy and the ongoing agitation by the Naba Nirman Krushak Sangathan (NNKS). The NNKS has launched a statewide agitation demanding right price for the produce of farmers and prestige and pension for them.
However, unable to run the House, the Speaker adjourned it till 12.14 pm. As the House reassembled, Congress and BJP members again entered the well shouting slogans. The Speaker adjourned the House for the day this time at 12.18 pm. Talking to mediapersons, the Leader of Opposition said the Congress had requested the Speaker to suspend question hour and start discussion on issues concerning the farmers in view of their importance.
He also criticised the State Government for trying to foil the agitation of NNKS in gross violation of democratic norms.Criticising the Congress members for disrupting the proceedings of the House, BJD MLA Sameer Dash said debate on farmers’ issues would have started as the Speaker had accepted the adjournment motion notice for discussion. “People of Odisha who have rejected the Congress will not tolerate such behaviour of the members of the party in the House,” he said.
Earlier, the House condoled the death of former government deputy chief whip Prasanna Kumar Pal, former MLA Banshidhar Sahu, Champeswar Mahakud, former Rifleman of 29 Battalion, Assam Rifles, former driver, CRPF Braja Mohan Behera and cameraman of Doordarshan Achyutananda Sahu.