Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly witnessed uproarious scenes for the 5th day on Monday as opposition Congress and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) members staged noisy protests against the MMDR Amendment Act, prompting the adjournment of the proceedings till 4 pm.
As soon as the House assembled for the day the opposition MLAs, holding placards and wearing black scarves as a mark of protest, stormed the well, raising slogans against the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026.
Terming the new mining law as “anti-Odisha” and “anti-tribal”, they demanded immediate steps to repeal the measure.
When Speaker Surama Padhy allowed Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling to answer a question, the opposition members stepped up the ruckus.
While some agitating members were seen standing on the reporters’ table, another section raised slogans close to the Speaker’s podium.
As repeated appeals to the opposition members went unheeded, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings till 11.30 am after only seven minutes of functioning.
The House was scheduled to discuss questions related to Health and Family Welfare, Home, Parliamentary Affairs, Finance, General Administration and Public Grievances, and Electronics and Information Technology departments.
When the House reassembled at 11.30 am, similar scenes prevailed, but the Speaker allowed Zero Hour discussions amid protest in the well.
Later, BJD lawmakers staged a walkout and joined the party’s protest rally being held outside the assembly demanding the repeal of the MMDR Act. Congress MLAs, on the other hand, continued their protest in the well while the Speaker conducted the Zero Hour business amid the din.
However, as the protests continued, the Speaker adjourned the House till 4 pm after around half-an-hour of functioning.
The political standoff between the ruling BJP and opposition BJD and Congress continued from day one of the monsoon session of the assembly on September 22.
While opposition parties claim that Odisha would lose over Rs one lakh crore in revenue if the MMDR Act is implemented in the state, ruling BJP lawmakers reject the claim and assert that the state would rather gain from the new mining law.
However, in a recent reply in the assembly, Odisha’s Steel and Mines Minister B B Jena said the government has not yet assessed whether the state would gain or lose because of the new mining law. The minister, however, assured the House that Odisha’s interests would be protected.