Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly Deputy Speaker Sanand Marandi adjourned the proceedings for one hour after Opposition members created ruckus for second time in the day today over the police detention of hundreds of members of the Navnirman Krushak Sanghathan at different places of the State.
Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra said in the House the State government was using the police as the 'Alsatian' dog against the farmers as soon as the proceedings began at 3 pm.
Mishra asked, "Under which law the police force was used and the farmers were arrested who were fighting for their rights."
Mishra was interrupted by Government chief whip Ananta Das who denounced the use of the 'Alsatian' dog word.
At this juncture, Congress members stormed into the well of the House shouting slogans and demanded statement as well as an apology from the Chief Minister.
While some Opposition members attempted to climb the Deputy Speaker Sanand Marandi’s table, Congress chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati snatched the Deputy Speaker’s mike and threw it away. Unable to run the House, the Deputy Speaker adjourned the House for one hour.
Meanwhile, BJP MLAs staged a walkout in the House and sat below the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the premises of the Odisha Assembly holding placards saying farmers have every rights to protest.
BJP State president and MLA Basant Panda said, "We wanted to say in the House that farmers have all the rights to raise the issue of distress sale and demand pension and prestige. While coming to hold a rally to place their demands, the police detention of them with use of the force is condemnable. The deputy speaker did not allow us to speak on the issue though we demanded for the same while shouting slogans."
BJP legislature party leader KV Singhdeo said, "The ruling party wants to run the House on their whims and are giving importance to the statements made by the Opposition. What has happened at different places across the State is pre-planned."
Also read: Pandemonium in Odisha Assembly over farmers’ detention
The government chief whip, who visited along with Rohit Pujari the striking BJP MLAs to request them to withdraw the dharna, said, "The BJD’s only aim is to safeguard the interest of farmers. We want normalcy to return to the House which is why I have come here to request the BJP legislators to call off the protest."
On the other hand, the Deputy Speaker adjourned the House till tomorrow due to non-cooperation from the Opposition members. The demands for grants of different departments was passed in the Assembly in guillotine.
Earlier in the day, uproarious scenes were witnessed in the House after Opposition leader Narasingha Mishra had raised the farmers’ detention issue soon after it assembled for the day. However, Mishra’s demand to discuss the matter was rejected by the Deputy Speaker, following which Bahinipati and his party legislators had stormed into the well and shouted slogans against the government. Unable to run the House, the Deputy Speaker had adjourned the proceedings till 3 pm.