Bhubaneswar: Functioning of the Assembly was paralysed in pre-lunch and post-lunch sessions Thursday as Opposition Congress and BJP members created ruckus over farmers’ issues and the statement of a minister against the Opposition outside the House.
Speaker PK Amat adjourned the House thrice as uproarious scenes dominated the well of the House.
However, business was taken up after Congress and BJP members staged a noisy walk out in support of their demands.
Congress members demanded an apology from food supply minister Surya Narayan Patro for making a ‘derogatory’ statement against the Opposition outside the House and a statement on mismanagement of paddy procurement in the state.
BJP members demanded the money imposed on mine leaseholders for illegal mining be used for providing bonus to farmers and hike the salary of low paid employees like home guards, Sikhya Sahayaks and Anganwadi workers.
Trouble started right from the question hour when the House assembled Thursday as the Speaker asked the school and mass education minister to reply to a question.
Opposition members rushed to the well and shouted slogans in support of their demands and against the government disrupting proceedings and the Speaker adjourned it at 1031hrs till 1200hrs.
When the House reassembled, Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra said the Opposition has been demanding a statement from the minister on mismanagement of paddy procurement for the last few days but the government is not paying heed.
Mishra said farmers were not getting MSP for their produce and at many places mandis have not yet been opened. In many places in the name of FAQ, procurement agencies were deducting 5 to 6 kg of paddy per quintal.
Mishra demanded the government to fix a price for the non-FAQ paddy and stop deducting 5 to 6 kg paddy per quintal from farmers.
He said parliamentary affairs minister Bikram Keshari Arukh had told the House Wednesday that the food supply minister would make a statement Thursday. But it did not find a place in the list of business.
Mishra said the minister concerned in a statement outside the House had said the Opposition has no specific question and the members were shouting to show their faces on TV screen.
The Leader of Opposition said the minister cannot abuse the Opposition and make a statement outside the House while it was in session. He described the statement made as ‘unfortunate’ and remarked that the words used by him against the Opposition were ‘derogatory’.
He demanded the minister to tender an apology for the statement, express his regret over the issue and make a statement in the House. The Speaker, Mishra said, should take action against the minister as per law if he failed to tender an apology.
The Speaker, however, said as per tradition of House, the minister can make a statement even though the matter is not listed in the list of business and asked the minister to make the statement.
While the minister was reading out the statement, Congress and BJP members again shouted slogans, trooped into the well and thumped the Speaker’s table in protest.
As soon as the minister finished his statement, the Speaker appealed to the members to go to their seats and cooperate with the proceedings.
The Opposition members, however, continued their slogan shouting inside the well forcing the Speaker to adjourn the house at 1217hrs till 1500hrs. There was no change in the situation when the house reassembled after lunch at 1500hours.
Sensing further trouble, the Speaker again adjourned the house at 1515 hours for 30 minutes. The House resumed business after Congress and BJP members staged a walk out.
The minister in his statement said till Wednesday, 14 districts were covered under the paddy procurement process and said paddy is being procured as per guidelines fixed by the Central government.
Instructions have been issued to the Orissa State Agriculture Marketing Council to provide required machinery to the societies to convert the grade of non-FAQ paddy to FAQ.
The minister said he had requested the Union food supply minister to relax FAQ guidelines in view of loss of quality of paddy in some areas due to natural calamities like drought, pest attacks and unseasonal rain.
He said the state government has not yet received any communication from the Centre to purchase non-FAQ paddy below MSP.
PNN
