BHUBANESWAR: The budget session of the assembly beginning from tomorrow will be a stormy affair as the ruling BJD and a resurgent BJP are likely to carry over the intense fight in the panchayat polls to the house.
Both the ruling BJD and BJP will raise the issue of poll-related violence and misuse of official machinery in the panchayat polls during the session. "The BJP legislature party will meet tomorrow to decide on the issues. However, the BJP members will raise the issues of poll-related violence, misuse of money and muscle power and misuse of government machinery by BJD," a senior BJP leader said.
The BJD will also raise the same issues. "Misuse of government machinery from Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand where the BJP is in power, distribution of money to voters and violence by BJP activists will be raised by the party MLAs," a senior BJD leader said.
Leader of the opposition Narasingh Mishra said Congress will also raise the issues of violence during the polls, use of money and muscle power by BJD and BJP and misuse of official machinery during the panchayat polls. "All the three parties allege that money has played a role in the election. So, how can there be a free and fair poll," he asked.
Besides, the Congress will also raise issues like acute shortage of drinking water, largescale vacancies in the post of doctors and teachers in rural areas and anti-farmer policies of the state government during the session.
"Purchase of paddy by the government agencies is a thousand crore scam," Mishra said and delay in payment of insurance to the farmers affected by drought will also be raised.
The BJD will also raise the Mahanadi river water dispute with Chhattisgarh, the Polavaram dam project built unilaterally by Andhra Pradesh and other issues to target the Centre for neglecting Odisha. Legislature party meetings of BJD, Congress and BJP will be held tomorrow to decide on the strategy for the budget session.
The meeting of the BJD legislature party will only be a formality as it has been convened at 10.30 am. The Governor address will start at 11 am in the assembly. The budget will be placed by the state government on February 27.