Din In Odisha Assembly Over Online Ticket System For Paddy Procurement

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly was adjourned till 3 pm on Monday after opposition Congress members created a ruckus in the House over alleged distress sale of paddy.

As soon as the House assembled, Speaker Surya Narayan Patro announced beginning of the question hour session and asked Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra to reply to the question on the law and order situation in the state.

At this, the Congress members urged the Speaker to cancel the question hour and order a discussion on the distress sale of paddy.

As the Speaker refused to comply with their demand, the irate Congress members led by Tara Prasad Bahinipati and Santosh Singh Saluja rushed to the podium of the Speaker and shouted slogans against the government.

They alleged that farmers, who have been taking paddy to mandis (procurement centre) since November 15, are yet to sell it due to the online token system introduced by the state government at the state level. The farmers, who are yet to get their token, have demanded re-introduction of the token system at the district level.

Unable to run the proceedings, the Speaker adjourned the House till 3 pm.

On the other hand, the BJP members boycotted the House and staged dharna near the Mahatma Gandhi statue inside the Assembly premises.

Talking to mediapersons, leader of the Opposition Pradipta Nayak said his party members will continue to boycott the House at the Speaker is not allowing them to discuss the death of the Haridaspur PEO Smitarani Biswal.

“Why the police are not arresting the two Panchayat Samiti members, one Zilla Parishad member and an agent of Ramco Cement who were present at the guesthouse at the time of the death of Smitarani? Under whose pressure these four persons have been let off by the police? They should be booked under Section 302 of the IPC and the state government order a CBI probe into the incident,” Nayak added.