Odishatv Bureau

Bhubaneswar: Odisha assembly was today adjourned for the day as ruling party members shouted slogans demanding hike in Minimum Support Price (MSP) of paddy while Congress MLAs stormed the well seeking a discussion on farmers issue.

As soon as the House assembled on the second day of the brief monsoon session in the morning, BJD legislators stood up, shouting slogans in support of their demand for MSP hike.

Unable to conduct business due to the chaos, Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat adjourned the House till 3 pm.

Thereafter, a delegation of the BJD went to the Raj Bhavan to submit a memorandum to the Governor, addressed to the President, listing their demands.

When the House reassembled at 3 pm, leader of opposition Narasingha Mishra of Congress asked the treasury bench to bring a censure motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not meeting the Assembly Committee, headed by Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat, over the MSP on paddy.

"The Prime Minister has no time for farmers of Odisha who have been denied enhanced MSP on paddy. Though the House had passed an unanimous resolution authorising the state government to demand Rs 2930 per quintal as MSP on paddy, the Prime Minister did not meet the Assembly Committee. Therefore, a censure motion needs to be passed in the House against the PM," Mishra said.

As Speaker remained silent on the matter, the Congress members led by party's whip Taraprasad Bahinipati rushed to well of the House and shouted slogans against both BJP and BJD and blamed them for the plight of the farmers.

Attacking the BJP-led government at the Centre on the MSP issue, senior BJD leaders, including Debi Prasad Mishra, told reporters outside the House that the party was also in favour of special category state status to Odisha.

The party leaders lashed out at the Central government over a water dispute connected to river Mahanadi between Odisha and Chhattisgarh, seeking early resolution.

Flow of the river water into Odisha was severely affected, due to construction of barrages and dams in the upper reaches of Mahanadi by Chhattisgarh, they said.

On the adjournment of the House, Leader of Opposition, Narasimha Mishra said that discussion on an adjournment motion on a farmers' problem moved by Congress could not be taken up because of the disruption.

 

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