Odisha Assembly witnesses ruckus over fertiliser crisis for 3rd day, House adjourned till 4 pm

Bhubaneswar, Sep 20 (IANS) The Odisha Assembly continued to witness uproar on the third day of the Monsoon Session on Saturday, with members of the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) raising slogans against the government over the fertiliser scarcity and its "black marketing" in the state.

The proceedings of the House began with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi moving the condolence motion, expressing sorrow over the death of former Biramitrapur MLA George Tirkey.

The motion was seconded by Deputy Leader of Opposition Prasanna Acharya and Congress CLP leader Rama Chandra Kadam.

Ex-Odisha MLA and tribal face Tirkey died on Saturday morning.

However, as soon as the Question Hour commenced, BJD members holding placards and banners stormed the well and started sloganeering near the podium of speaker Surama Padhy.

The Speaker requested the opposition members to return to their seats and allow the House to function, but to no avail.

The persistent pandemonium prompted Padhy to adjourn the proceedings till 4 p.m.

The BJD has alleged that the state government has failed to provide sufficient fertiliser to farmers, who are being forced to purchase it from the open market at much higher prices.

The party held the state government responsible for fertiliser "black marketing" in Odisha and demanded a discussion on the issue by suspending all regular House proceedings.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Irasis Acharya on Saturday said that the opposition BJD and Congress are not concerned about the development of Odisha.

He further claimed that the opposition leaders are avoiding a debate on the issue, fearing they would be "exposed".

Acharya asserted that the BJP is the only party in the state that truly stands with and works for the farmers.

It is pertinent to mention here that the proceedings of the House were washed out on Friday as well, the second day of the Monsoon Session due to the pandemonium after BJD members created a ruckus over alleged fertiliser scarcity and its black marketing.

--IANS

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