Oppn protests over paddy procurement 'mismanagement' rock Odisha assembly for fifth day

The Odisha assembly witnessed noisy scenes for the fifth consecutive day on Monday as opposition BJD and Congress members created a ruckus over alleged mismanagement in paddy procurement, forcing Speaker Surama Padhy to adjourn the proceedings multiple times.

The Odisha assembly witnessed noisy scenes for the fifth consecutive day on Monday as opposition BJD and Congress members created a ruckus over alleged mismanagement in paddy procurement, forcing Speaker Surama Padhy to adjourn the proceedings multiple times. As soon as the House assembled for Question Hour at 10.30 am, BJD and Congress MLAs trooped into the well of the House, raising slogans and holding placards against the government. Similar scenes were witnessed since Wednesday last week. Both the BJD and Congress members alleged gross mismanagement in paddy procurement in state-run mandis, accusing the government of failing to give justice to farmers, and claimed that nearly 70 per cent of the state's population depends on agriculture. As the House faced frequent disruptions, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, at a press conference on the assembly premises, urged the Opposition to join a direct and constructive discussion on paddy procurement in the House, instead of creating a ruckus. ''We do not hide the truth. We admit that there have been some initial pressures due to a lack of infrastructure in the state, and go-down problems in certain places. Higher input assistance of Rs 800 per quintal has led to increased paddy cultivation. This is the success of our agricultural policy. The farmers now believe that the government is with them,'' Pujari told reporters. He added that the state government was strengthening infrastructure, which could not be built overnight. The minister cited past statistics to assert that the procurement this season was not lagging behind previous years. ''Friends in opposition should rise above politics and accept this change and come to the discussion. Every suggestion to take the system to the highest level of transparency is welcome for the government,'' Pujari said. Earlier in the day, the Speaker appealed to agitating Opposition members to restore order. However, they continued their protest, following which the House was first adjourned till 11.30 am. As the ruckus continued after reassembly, proceedings were again adjourned till noon. When the House reassembled, Congress Legislature Party leader Rama Chandra Kadam raised the issue relating to 'Epstein files' and named certain Union ministers and demanded their resignation. BJP MLAs Irasish Acharya, Sanatan Bijuli and Ashok Mohanty objected to Kadam's remarks and demanded that his comments against the Prime Minister and others be expunged from the records, as they are not members of the Assembly. Amid the uproar, the Speaker adjourned the House multiple times till 4 Pm. When the House reassembled in the afternoon, Speaker Padhy announced that Kadam's statements containing names of certain persons would be expunged from the records of the House. She said that the names of people, who are not members of this Assembly, could not be taken as per the norms. Padhy also asked media not to report Kadam's statements taking names of certain persons. Meanwhile, the all-party meeting convened by the Speaker failed to break the impasse. In the afternoon session, the Speaker allowed general debate on the budget even as the Opposition members were raising slogans in well of the House. Finally, the House was adjourned till 10.30 am on Tuesday. Congress members with raised placards also alleged that the BJP government had ignored farmers' interests in a trade deal with the US. Replying to a question outside the House over the ongoing stalemate in the assembly, senior BJD member Arun Kumar Sahoo alleged, ''The government has no intention to run the House. They are not replying to questions raised by the Opposition. Is it wrong to raise the issues affecting farmers? Let the government take measures to stop harassment of farmers.'' BJP MLA Babu Singh blamed the Opposition for the disruption. ''They are not cooperating and are creating disturbances for the sake of opposition. If the Opposition members have any issue, they should participate in discussions instead of agitating in the well,'' he said. Senior Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati alleged that the BJP government was avoiding discussion on farmers' issues and demanded action against leaders named in the 'Epstein files'. BJD member Sarada Prasanna Jena said the Opposition sought an assurance from Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to stop the practice of 'katni-chhatni'. 'Katni-chhatni' refers to illegal deduction of paddy weight, often 7-8 kg per quintal, at the state-run mandis. They also demanded payment of Rs 3,169 per quintal of paddy, comprising both MSP and input subsidy. Deputy Leader of the Opposition Prasanna Acharya alleged that the government was not taking adequate measures to protect farmers' interests despite its claims, and said farmers were not receiving a proper price for their produce.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)