Bhubaneswar: Odisha Assembly proceedings were stalled on the opening day of the monsoon session on Tuesday as opposition members created uproarious scenes over MMDR amendment and school textbook errors.
Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress demanded the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond over errors in school textbooks, repeal of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026.
As soon as the question hour began, BJD and Congress MLAs trooped into the well of the House and raised slogans against the BJP government over the textbook errors and the recent passage of the MMDR Amendment Bill 2026, in Parliament.
Continuous ruckus forced Speaker Surama Padhy to adjourn the proceedings twice, first till 1.10 pm and later till 4 pm, as the opposition members refused to restore normalcy.
The session began with an obituary reference to six former members of the Assembly and those killed in the flash floods in Nepal.
When question hour commenced, BJD and Congress members entered the well and raised slogans over the two issues.
While the BJD MLAs protested against errors in school textbooks and demanded accountability from the government, Congress members sought the repeal of the MMDR Amendment Act.
Amid the din, the Speaker appealed to the protesting members to return to their seats and allow the House to function. However, the appeals failed to pacify the Opposition members, following which the proceedings were adjourned.
As the House was adjourned, BJD MLAs proceeded to Mahatma Gandhi Marg, where the party’s youth and student wings were staging an ‘Assembly Gherao’ agitation over the textbook errors.
Minister Nityananda Gond must be held accountable for the distribution of the error-ridden books to schoolchildren and he should resign, opposition chief whip Pramila Mallik said.
Criticising the opposition for stalling the Assembly, BJP MLA Irasish Acharya said the government has taken action in the textbook error matter and the corrected books are being distributed. They create noise without any justified reason as the government is ready to discuss any issue in the House, Acharya said.
The nine-day Monsoon Session of the Assembly is scheduled to continue until October 3. Six key bills are expected to be introduced during the session.
