Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Legislative Assembly was adjourned until 4 pm on Saturday after lawmakers from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress staged a protest over alleged mismanagement in paddy procurement. The uproar disrupted proceedings shortly after the House convened for the Question Hour.
The commotion began around 10:30 am when BJD and Congress MLAs stormed the Well within minutes of the session starting, forcing Speaker Surama Padhy to adjourn the House initially until 11:30 am. However, the lawmakers returned at 11:30 am, raising slogans and displaying placards to highlight delays, irregularities, and procedural issues in paddy procurement across the state. Following the renewed protest, Speaker Padhy adjourned the House again, this time until 4 pm.
Speaking outside the Assembly, senior Congress leader and Pottangi MLA Rama Chandra Kadam said nearly 75% of farmers were facing difficulties in selling their paddy, but the state government had shown little interest in resolving the issue.
“Farmers are struggling to receive their due payments, yet there is no concrete action from the authorities,” he said.
Senior BJD leader and Nayagarh MLA Arun Kumar Sahoo also criticised the procurement process. He stated that while the government had announced a paddy procurement price of Rs 3,100 per quintal, many farmers were rejected during registration or while selling quantities exceeding 150 quintals.
He added that mandis were not functioning properly, tokens were being delayed, and farmers were not receiving payments on time.
“About 70% of Odisha’s population depends on agriculture, and all benefit indirectly from it. Yet, farmers are facing multiple hurdles. This is why we raised the issue in the House. We demand that the Food Supplies Minister intervene immediately and that the Chief Minister apologise to the farmers. The government must resolve these issues as soon as possible,” Sahoo said.
With the House adjourned until 4 pm, it remains to be seen whether discussions on farmers’ issues will resume once the session reconvenes.
