BHUBANESWAR: The six-day Budget session of the Assembly started on a stormy note on Friday with the Congress members boycotting the Governor’s address even as Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik attended the House after a gap of one year. However, the BJP members did not create any ruckus during the Governor’s address and were present in the House. The Chief Minister had been attending different sessions of the Assembly virtually since Covid-19 pandemic started except in February, 2021 when he was present in the House during the Governor’s address in the Budget session.
Naveen also chaired a meeting of the BJD Legislature Party on the Assembly premises before the session started. He advised the treasury bench members on how to face the Opposition, which had announced to corner the government over the rise in poll-related violence and the alleged involvement of two ministers in cameraman Manas Swain’s murder case.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha told mediapersons after the meeting that the BJD will raise the issue of Central negligence towards Odisha, rise in the prices of petroleum products and essential items during the session.
Earlier, Congress boycotted the Governor’s address opposing the State government’s decision to present a vote on account in the House instead of a full budget. “You have decided to bring a vote-on-account without any reason though the model code of conduct has been lifted. Generally, vote-on-account is brought during general elections, but you have done this time deliberately,” leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Narasingh Mishra told mediapersons. The CLP which met on Friday decided to raise the unprecedented violence during the panchayat elections, deteriorating law and order situation and anti-farmer policies of the government during the session.