BHUBANESWAR: The Budget session of the Assembly beginning on Saturday is likely to be a stormy affair with the Opposition BJP and Congress planning to corner the State government over several issues including the Srimandir Parikrama project, deteriorating law and order situation and neglect of farmers.
The strategy will be finalised after meeting of the legislature parties which are scheduled on Saturday before the beginning of the session. The BJD Legislature Party will also meet on Saturday to discuss strategy for the Budget session as Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who was on a foreign tour, reached the State Capital late in the night on Thursday. As majority of leaders of all political including the Chief Minister were at Puri for the Rath Yatra festival, meetings of the legislature parties could not be held on Friday.
Deputy leader of the BJP Legislature Party Bishnu Charan Sethi said failure of the State government in paddy procurement, drinking water crisis in western Odisha districts, deteriorating law and order situation in Odisha besides the Srimandir Parikrama project will be the major issues. However, the issues will be finalised after discussion in the Legislature Party meet which will be held at 8.30 am on Saturday, he added.
Congress will also raise similar issues during the session. The growing unemployment problem, neglect of farmers by the government as it failed to procure paddy besides deteriorating law and order situation, particularly the crimes against women will be major issues, leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Narasingha Mishra said.
Mishra said the strategy will be finalised at the CLP meeting on Saturday. President of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Sarat Pattanayak will also attend the meeting.