Bhubaneswar: Opposition BJD Tuesday said it would raise the “plight of Odisha’s farmers and deteriorating law and order in the state” in the upcoming Budget session of Parliament.
BJD’s national spokesperson and MP Sasmit Patra made the announcement after attending an all-party meeting held in Delhi ahead of the budget session.
Speaking to PTI over the phone, he said, “As directed by BJD president Naveen Patnaik, I raised the issues in the all-party meeting today. We informed the members that the BJD would raise farmers’ plight and law and order issues in Parliament.”
Besides, the BJD would also raise the matters relating to the demand for special status to Odisha, non-revision of coal royalty, unemployment, irregularities in recruitment processes, crimes against women, and incidents of attack on members of the minority community, Dalits and tribals, Patra said.
The BJD’s decision to raise the issues regarding farmers’ plight and law and order in Parliament aligns with the party’s scheduled fortnight-long state-wide agitation from February 2 to 14 on these matters, the MP said.
“The issues will be raised both in Parliament and also in every nook and corner of the state at the same time,” Patra said.
He alleged that farmers were suffering due to lack of proper government policies.
“Farmers did not get seeds and fertilisers during the Kharif season, and later faced difficulties in the procurement of paddy due to irregularities in the process,” Patra claimed.
Calling Odisha’s paddy procurement process a “complete disaster”, the BJD leader said that procurement has remained far lower than the state’s ambitious target of 73 lakh metric tonnes.
He also claimed that the farmers were not getting Rs 3,100 for every quintal of paddy at state-run mandis, as announced by the government.
On the law and order situation, the BJD leader alleged that Odisha has been witnessing a sharp increase in crimes against women and children.
“Odisha’s reputation as a peaceful state has been shattered, with rising communal tensions and attacks on minorities. The BJP government is responsible for this breakdown in law and order and bringing a bad name to the state,” he said.
Patra said the BJD MPs will also raise issues relating to the Mahanadi river water dispute and the Polavaram project during the Parliament session.
“Though the BJP has governments at the Centre, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and its alliance partner runs Andhra Pradesh, Odisha’s vexed issues remain unsolved. The BJP has not taken any step to resolve them,” he said.
The MP also came down heavily on the BJP government for the cancellation of recruitment examinations, which, he said, created frustration among unemployed youth.
PTI