BHUBANESWAR: Putting the heat on the State Government over farmers’ issue, a determined opposition, Congress and BJP stalled the proceedings of the Assembly for the second consecutive day on Wednesday.As soon as the House assembled for the day, Congress and BJP legislators holding banners and replicas of fake pesticide bottles rushed into the well of the House shouting anti-government slogans and demanded a discussion on the farmers’ issue by suspending the question hour session. The Speaker adjourned the House till 3 pm.
The House witnessed similar pandemonium when it reassembled at 3 pm. The Congress and BJP members staged a walk out in protest as the Speaker did not accept the motion moved by the Congress for a debate on the plight of farmers due to crop loss. The House ran for nearly 25 minutes without opposition after which the Speaker adjourned it for the day.Soon after the adjournment of the Assembly in the forenoon session, ruling BJD members marched towards Raj Bhavan and submitted a memorandum to Governor SC Jamir, addressed to President Ram Nath Kovind, demanding hike in minimum support price (MSP) of paddy.
Criticising the State Government for not allowing a debate on the issue despite prior notice from the Congress, Leader of Opposition Narasingh Mishra said neither the BJD nor BJP are concerned about the plight of farmers. They are only shedding crocodile tears for the farmers to get political mileage.
“While the State Government said it is ready for discussion on all issues, the ruling party is running away when the opposition demands a discussion on the plight of farmers. Now it is clear that the Government does not have the courage to face the opposition,” Mishra told reporters. Mishra further said he had written to the Speaker seeking his intervention to bring normalcy in the House and allow the Congress notice for discussion on the farmers’ issue.
Deploring the Centre’s refusal to accept the State’s demand for a hike in MSP of paddy, Finance Minister Shashi Bhusan Behera said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to double the income of farmers and increase the MSP on paddy by 1.5 times of production cost. However, the Centre increased it by only `80 per quintal.
Lambasting the Government for its lack of concern for farmers, BJP MLA Pradip Purohit said the ruling party members are creating drama in the House by using the Speaker as shield at a time when farmers of the State are in utter distress following drought, pest attack and unseasonal rain. “We equally support a hike in MSP for paddy. But, the Prime Minister office should not be blamed as it is no way connected to the fixation of MSP. The State Government could provide bonus to the farmers as is being done in other States,” Purohit said.
Assembly to decide MSP issue
Bhubaneswar: With no response from the Prime Minister’s Office to the request of the Assembly committee for an appointment to discuss hike in minimum support price (MSP) for paddy, Speaker Pradip Amat is likely to seek the opinion of the House for further course of action. In a bid to break the logjam in the Assembly which failed to transact any business in the first two days of the winter session over farmers issue, Amat convened a meeting of the House committee to discuss the MSP issue. The Speaker is reported to have sought the opinion of members of the House panel about the next course of action as the office of the Prime Minister is yet to acknowledge his letter on the MSP issue.
As chairman of the House Committee, Amat had written to the PMO on November 18 seeking an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 25 to submit a memorandum for increasing the MSP for paddy. Though the House Committee had earlier sought an appointment to meet the Prime Minister, the PMO advised them to meet Union Agriculture Minister because of his preoccupation. However, the Assembly panel did not prefer to meet the Union Minister, said leader of BJP legislature party KV Singhdeo. Since the Assembly had authorised the panel to meet the Prime Minister to discuss the MSP issue, the chairman of the committee had to place the matter before the House for further action, he said. On March 25, the Assembly had unanimously adopted a resolution recommending the State Government to demand Centre for increasing MSP of paddy to `2,930 per quintal. The Assembly has been witnessing uproarious scenes over the demand for hike in paddy MSP from the treasury benches while the opposition Congress and BJP are demanding discussion of farmers plight due to crop loss.