Bhubaneswar: In what could augur well for the ongoing second phase of the Budget Session, an all-party meeting held today reached a consensus for a discussion on the Mahanadi water dispute in Odisha Assembly on Friday.
Soon after the House began for the day today, Congress legislators started demanding suspension of the 'Question Hour' to hold a discussion on Mahanadi issue. Following pandemonium, the Speaker adjourned the House till 11:30 AM.
As soon as the House reassembled for the Question Hour, members of both the Congress and the BJP stood up and raised slogans.
To break the deadlock, the Speaker adjourned the House again and called for an all-party meeting at 3 PM.
After the meeting, BJD MLA Sanjay Das Burma and Opposition party chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati informed that a consensus has been reached for a discussion on the Mahanadi issue in the Assembly on April 13.
"In the all-party meeting, it was decided that the Question Hour will be suspended tomorrow for a discussion on the Mahandi issue," said Bahinipati.
Earlier on Wednesday, the treasury bench members of Odisha Assembly had accused the Centre of conspiring to deprive Odisha of its share of the Mahanadi river water.