Odisha assembly proceedings washed out on Friday amid oppn stir over fertiliser crisis

Bhubaneswar, Sep 19 (PTI) The Odisha assembly proceedings were washed out on Friday, the second day of the monsoon session, amid opposition BJD's protest over the fertiliser crisis during the ongoing kharif season in the state.

The proceedings were disrupted repeatedly as BJD members created a ruckus in the House, demanding a detailed discussion on the alleged scarcity of fertiliser and farmers' agitation across the state.

Unable to run the House, Speaker Surama Padhy adjourned the proceedings twice during the day.

The House could hardly transact business for only eight minutes in two phases.

In the morning, BJD MLAs, holding placards and raising slogans against the BJP government, trooped into the well of the House, before the Speaker took her seat.

They called the ruling BJP "anti-farmer" party.

As the Speaker’s repeated requests to the agitating members to return to their seats fell on deaf ears, she adjourned the proceedings till 4 pm.

The assembly could function for only four minutes in the morning, amid the protests.

Though she allowed School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond to reply to a question of BJP member Tankadhar Tripathy, nothing could be heard amid the din.

The BJD's protest in the assembly came a day after Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister K C Patra admitted that there had been black marketing of fertilisers across the state.

When the House reassembled at 4 pm, the BJD members started demanding a detailed discussion on the fertiliser crisis in the state.

Proceedings lasted for about four minutes in the post-lunch session before the Speaker adjourned the House till 10.30 am on Saturday.

Outside the House, opposition chief whip Pramila Mallik claimed that they were forced to stage the demonstration in the well because the government has "ignored the plight of farmers" who have been protesting on the streets.

"This government has failed to meet the farmers' demand, and there has been rampant black marketing of fertilisers across the state," she alleged.

Despite the Speaker accepting a notice for a debate on the fertiliser crisis, Mallik said, "We have been demanding a full-fledged discussion in the House after suspending all the businesses. When farmers account for more than 60 per cent of the state's population, a discussion for 15-20 minutes will not be justified." However, BJP MLA Agasti Behera alleged that the Opposition BJD disrupted the proceedings to "defame the government".

"When the Speaker accepted the Congress' notice for a discussion on the issue after Question Hour, there was no point in creating a ruckus. Such practices are adopted to get publicity," the BJP legislator claimed.

Congress MLA Ashok Das was surprised by the BJD's action and said they could have discussed the matter through an adjournment motion.

"Instead of joining the debate, the BJD ensured that the House was adjourned. We suspect that the BJD held the protest to protect the BJP government," Das alleged.

Meanwhile, BJP member Padmalochan Panda threatened to move a privilege motion against six Congress MLAs, including CLP leader Rama Chandra Kadam, for speaking to the media about their notice on the no-confidence motion against the BJP government on Thursday.

“As per the rules of the business of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, any member cannot reveal in public about a notice on the no-confidence motion. Six Congress MLAs violated the rules and told reporters about the notice as soon as they submitted a copy of it to the Speaker,” Panda claimed.

Rejecting Panda’s allegation, Ashok Das claimed that they had told the media about the ‘no-confidence’ notice in writing only after informing the secretary of the assembly.

“We have not done anything which violates the rules of the House,” the Congress MLA added. PTI AAM ACD AAM BDC