Bhubaneswar: The deadlock over the amended MMDR Act continued in the Odisha Assembly for the fourth consecutive day Friday, with BJD and Congress members staging protests in the well of the House and forcing Deputy Speaker Bhabani Shankar Bhoi to adjourn the proceedings till 4 PM.
As soon as the House assembled at 1030 hours to take up the scheduled Question Hour, Opposition members carrying placards trooped into the well and raised slogans demanding withdrawal of the MMDR Amendment Act passed by Parliament.
The Opposition members alleged that the amended law would cause a financial loss of more than Rs one lakh crore to Odisha and deprive the state of its rights over its mineral resources.
Amid uproar the Deputy Speaker called upon School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond to reply to a question raised by Dr Fakir Mohan Nayak.
However, as the Minister rose to respond, the Opposition intensified its sloganeering, disrupting the proceedings. With the situation showing no signs of easing, the Deputy Speaker adjourned the House at 1034 hours, barely four minutes after it assembled, till 4 PM.
For the fourth consecutive day, the Assembly could not transact its scheduled Question Hour, Zero Hour and Adjournment Motion business because of the Opposition protests over the MMDR Act.
Soon after the adjournment, BJD members carrying placards marched to AG Square and staged a demonstration against the amended MMDR Act, describing it as a “Black Act” and alleging that it was against the interests of Odisha.
BJD member Goutam Buddha Das said the party would continue its agitation until the Centre withdrew the MMDR Act.
He said the party would intensify the movement in the coming days and reach out to people in every village to explain what it described as the “anti-people” policies of the BJP government.Congress members also said their agitation would continue until the MMDR Act was withdrawn and the government agreed to a discussion on the issue in the Assembly.
With the Opposition protests continuing, four days of the Monsoon Session have already been disrupted, raising questions over whether the stalemate will continue during the remaining proceedings.
As per the schedule, the Monsoon Session is slated to conclude October 3. The Assembly will remain closed September 26 and 27 for the weekend and October 2 on account of Gandhi Jayanti. The focus now is on whether the Opposition will continue its protest over the MMDR Act and disrupt the remaining business of the session.