Bhubaneswar: The Monsoon session of the Odisha Assembly is scheduled to commence from September 18. The office of the Assembly Speaker released the schedule and agenda for the upcoming session.
The week-long session, slated to continue up to September 25, is likely to be stormy over a number of burning and sensitive issues.
Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress are getting ready to confront the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government over multiple issues, including the death of an FM College student, Balangir student burning case, Gopalpur gang rape incident, and the Mahanadi River water dispute with Chhattisgarh.
BJD chief whip Pramila Mallik said the regional party will raise issues such as women’s harassment, student self-immolation incidents, and farmers’ problems during the session. “BJD will also seek to know from the government on what it has achieved in the last one and a half years,” she said.
Similarly, Congress has expressed doubts over the government’s intent in convening a session with just seven business days.
Claiming that the BJP government was initially unwilling to hold the Monsoon session fearing uncomfortable questions from the opposition, Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati said they have convened the session as the situation has now calmed down. Congress will raise issues including vote theft and harassment of women during the session, he said.
The state government is expected to table several significant bills during the session, aiming to push forward key legislative reforms.