Bhubaneswar: Furor over farmers’ issues rocked the Odisha Assembly on Friday forcing Speaker Bikram Arukha to adjourn the proceeding multiple times and call an all party-meeting for the smooth transaction of the House.
Pandemonium created by the Opposition members led to a face-off with treachery bench that forced the Speaker to declare adjournment of the House thrice.
As soon as the House assembled for the day at 10.30 am, the opposition Congress and BJP members were already present at the well and shouted anti-government slogans holding the BJD dispensation of adopting “anti-farmer” approach.
While some of the agitating opposition members attempted to climb the Speaker’s podium, the ruling BJD members also rushed to the well of the House leading to a face-off situation forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House for one hour till 11.30 am.
As the House re-assembled and sloganeering continued, the speaker announced his decision to adjourn the proceeding till post lunch session at 4 pm. Similar situation also prevailed in the afternoon as the sloganeering members didn’t allow the Speaker to run the House. Arukha had to adjourn it till 4.30 pm and called an all-party meeting seeking cooperation from the MLAs to function the House smoothly.
While opposition members accused the state government of adopting “anti-farmer” stand in payment of crop insurance, drought input subsidy and paddy procurement difficulties, the BJD members blamed the BJP led central government of not hiking the MSP to paddy cultivators and not implementing the recommendations of the MS Swaminathan Committee recommendation for raising income of farmers.
As the House remained adjourned, the members of the ruling Biju Janata Dal staged a sit-in near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the Assembly premises demanding rise of MSP on paddy by the central government. The treasury bench members including ministers later marched to Raj Bhavan and submitted a memorandum to Governor demanding Rs 2,930 per quintal MSP on paddy.
The BJP members also staged a sit in dharna in another place highlighting the state government’s “failure” in assisting farmers at appropriate time.
