BHUBANESWAR: The pre-lunch session of the Assembly including the question hour was washed out Thursday as the opposition Congress and BJP members created a ruckus over farmers' issues.
As soon as the question hour started, BJP members rushed into the well of the house shouting slogans and criticising the state government for not acting on the Supreme Court order to collect fines from mine owners for violating laws and neglecting the farmers. Citing the ruckus, speaker Pradip Amat adjourned the house till 12 noon.
Now when the house reassembled, Congress members trooped into the well protesting against cooperation minister Surya Narayan Patro's statement outside the house over the farmers demands.
Alleging that giving a statement outside has lowered the dignity of the house, leader of the opposition Narasingh Mishra demanded that the speaker should act on such deviations. The minister had made a statement outside the house despite an assurance from the parliamentary affairs minister in this regard, he said.
The Congress members had wanted to know why farmers are not being given correct price for their produce. Besides, five to ten kgs are being deducted from a quintal of paddy during procurement, Mishra said and criticised the state government for neglecting the farmers after making tall promises.
Though the minister read a statement in the house, Congress members continued to shout slogans in the well alleging it did not mention the issues raised by them. The speaker had to adjourn the house till 3 pm from 12.17 pm as the house could not be run due to the noisy scenes.
BJP member Rabinarayan Naik said outside the house that if the government collected fines as per the Supreme Court order from the mines owners, farmers could have been paid bonus and demands of the other agitating government employees could have been met from the money.