Bhubaneswar: Ruling-BJD leaders will gherao the Parliament on January 8 to press for a hike in the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy, senior party leader and State Law Minister, Pratap Jena informed today.
All MLAs, MPs, leaders and workers from student, farmer and youth wings of the party will leave for New Delhi in a special train on Janaury 5 to take part in the agitation. A demonstration will be staged by the Biju Krushak Janata Dal at the Parliament to protest against Central government’s indifference towards the plight of Odisha farmers, Jena said.
A delegation of the party will also meet the President of India later in the evening to submit a memorandum in connection with the matter.
The Odisha government has been demanding a hike in the paddy MSP to Rs 2,930 per quintal which was rejected by the Centre despite a unanimous resolution passed in the State Assembly in 2017. Later, a House committee of the Odisha Assembly on paddy MSP headed by speaker Pradip Kumar Amat was constituted; but could not meet PM Modi to discuss the issue.