Odisha Assembly monsoon session set for stormy start today

The monsoon session of the Odisha Assembly commencing from Thursday is likely to be stormy as the opposition Congress announced that it will move a no-confidence motion against the BJP government, with the BJD resolving to raise questions on law and order, women's safety, fertiliser scarcity and other burning issues.

The decisions in this regard were taken at the respective Legislature Party meetings on the eve of the Monsoon Session.

The session will continue till September 25 with a break on Sunday.

“The people across the state have lost their trust on the BJP government. The state government has failed on all fronts, and we have decided to move a non-confidence motion during this session,” Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Rama Chandra Kadam told reporters.

The CLP meeting attended by Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das resolved that the Mohan Charan Majhi government has “betrayed” the people, though it completed barely 15 months in office, Kadam said.

Das alleged that there is no break on the rapes, gang rapes, atrocities on women, Dalits, tribals, while farmers are denied fertiliser.

“There is systematic failure on all fronts for which the party has decided to raise the people’s issues in the Assembly,” he said.

The OPCC president said the CLP has expressed concern over the brutal murder of a female constable by a policeman in Bhubaneswar and the recent gang rape of a college student in Puri district.

“We condemn all these incidents and hold the government responsible for the crimes against the women. Though the chief minister himself is in charge of the home department, still the women are being assaulted, killed and raped,” he said.

In its legislature party meeting chaired by BJD president Naveen Patnaik, the regional outfit came down heavily on the BJP government for its “all-out failure”.

Addressing the meeting, Patnaik said that the Monsoon Session, although short, is of special political importance.

“In the last three and a half months, the inefficiency and apathy of the so-called double engine government in various areas such as women's safety, fertiliser supply and protection of farmers' interests,are becoming increasingly apparent,” the former chief minister said.

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Alleging that the law and order has completely collapsed, Patnaik said it is unfortunate that the atrocities on women are increasing by the day.

“No one is safe in this state now,” he said, adding that farmers are being harassed due to a “man-made crisis” created in the fertilizer supply sector.

The BJD president alleged that the state government is trying to destroy the democratic values in the Panchayati Raj system for political gains.

“The decision taken by the state government to increase the financial power of the officials to make the elected Panchayat representatives irrelevant will be strongly opposed in the Assembly,” he said.

Apart from this, Patnaik said, the government will also be held accountable for the chaos and violence like the stampede that took place during the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, the symbol of Odia identity.

“The BJP government has failed in every field except for spreading lies. Therefore, the Biju Janata Dal will work with a strict approach in the Assembly to protect farmers, women, the Panchayati Raj system and the Odia identity,” he said.

Read More: 3-tier security in Bhubaneswar ahead of Assembly monsoon session

Meanwhile, Odisha Police has tightened security arrangements across Bhubaneswar in view of the assembly session, and the bandobast was reviewed by DGP Y B Khurania.

A three-tier security system is being put in place for the monsoon session. Around 30 platoons (900 personnel) are being deployed across strategic locations around the Assembly building, an official said.