BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Tuesday said that the smooth functioning of the winter session of the Assembly - beginning Wednesday - largely depends on the manner in which the Speaker conducts the House proceedings.
As the State government is on the back foot over the Mamita Meher murder case, the BJP has stacked up ammunition to target it on a host of issues. The deteriorating law and order situation and increasing atrocities on women are on the top of its agenda.
“We as principal opposition will extend our full cooperation to the treasury benches for smooth functioning of the Assembly. However, our assistance will be subject to the neutrality of the Speaker,” said BJP chief whip Mohan Charan Majhi after the party’s legislature meeting. Majhi said the Kalahandi lady teacher murder case is an important issue for the BJP because of the involvement of the Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra.
The legislature party has decided to rake up the worsening law and order situation with specific reference to the involvement of Law Minister Pratap Jena in the Mahanaga murders and Agriculture Minister Arun Sahu’s link in the Pari murder case in Nayagarh. The rising incidence of ganja and brown sugar seizure in the State is alarming and this points to the inefficiency of the law enforcing authorities, he added.
Majhi also said that the distribution of smart health cards under Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is a publicity stunt to woo voters ahead of the panchayat elections and people of the State are entitled to know from the government about the source of funding for such a massive scheme without any budgetary support.
Terming the school transformation programme under 5T as propaganda, the saffron party lambasted the government for vacancies of teaching staff in schools and higher educational institutions.
BJD to raise Central neglect in Assembly
BHUBANESWAR: The ruling BJD has decided to raise the issue of Central neglect relating to assistance under rural housing and other schemes to counter the Opposition during the winter session. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who presided over a meeting of the party virtually, laid stress on Central neglect and asked his MLAs to raise the issues in the House.
The Chief Minister said that the Centre has not sanctioned adequate number of IAY houses for beneficiaries of Odisha despite repeated requests. He also raised the issue of delay in revising coal royalty by the Centre due to which the State government is losing revenue every year. Increasing the MSP is another demand of the State.
Referring to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Chief Minister said the danger is not yet over and the new variant Omicron has raised concerns across the world.