The opening day of the Monsoon Session of the Odisha Legislative Assembly collapsed into absolute chaos on Tuesday as the Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress joined forces to stall proceedings, forcing Speaker Surama Padhy to adjourn the House twice until 4:00 PM.
BJD Demands Resignation Over School Textbook Errors
Immediately following the obituary references, BJD lawmakers surged into the Well of the House, clutching placards and shouting slogans against School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond. The Opposition demanded the Minister’s immediate resignation over glaring errors spotted in newly distributed school textbooks.
Demonstrating their fury, BJD members displayed placards featuring absurd textbook mistakes—including references to “Nimbuda Nimbuda”, a photo of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly printed in place of the Odisha Assembly, and lessons on “Sukhua Podha” (roasted dried fish). Several BJD MLAs climbed onto the reporters’ table right in front of the Speaker’s podium, triggering intense commotion.
With normal business rendered impossible within just one minute of the uproar, Speaker Surama Padhy first adjourned the Assembly from 11:36 AM to 1:10 PM, and subsequently from 1:11 PM to 4:00 PM. Senior BJD leadership, including Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik and Deputy Leader Prasanna Acharya, remained present in their seats throughout the agitation.
March to Lower PMG and Night-Long Dharna
Following the adjournment, BJD legislators marched from the Assembly premises to the Lower PMG demonstration site, joining the ongoing day-and-night protest launched by the Biju Yuva Janata Dal (BYJD) and Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD).
Speaking at the protest site, senior BJD leader Dr Arun Kumar Sahoo launched a sharp attack on the state government: “This administration is running on empty promises and playing with the future of Odisha’s children. If a minister in Delhi can resign over policy failures, why won’t Minister Nityananda Gond step down here?”
MLAs Sarada Prasad Jena, Dhruba Charan Sahoo, Byomakesh Ray, Manohar Randhari, Barsha Singh Bariha, and Manorama Mohanty reiterated that the protest would continue unabated until the Minister resigns. BYJD President Chinmay Sahoo and BCJD President Ispita Sahoo confirmed that youth and student wings from across the state have assembled at Lower PMG for an indefinite night-and-day sit-in.
Congress Raises MMDR Act Issue
Simultaneously, the Congress party targeted the government over the amended Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) — MMDR Act. Led by senior legislator Tara Prasad Bahinipati, Congress members rushed into the Well with placards, condemning the law as detrimental to Odisha’s regional interests and demanding its immediate repeal. Congress MLAs Ashok Das, Sagar Das, Mangu Khilla, Nilamadhab Hikaka, and Pabitra Saunta joined in climbing the reporters’ table, compounding the day’s legislative standstill.
