The State Assembly on Monday witnessed frequent adjournments and could run only for 15 minutes as both ruling BJD and Opposition Congress and BJP members protested in the House raising different issues.
As the House met for the day, BJD members stood at their seats and shouted slogans against the Union Government for changing the Centre and State ratio of the post-Matric stipend assistances for SC and ST students.
On the other side, Congress members rushed into the Well of the House raising the issue of entry of CBI teams into the Secretariat, as published in a vernacular daily.
However, Speaker Pradeep Kumar Amat called Finance Minister Shashi Bhushan Behera to give a reply to a question of BJD Member Ranendra Pratap Swain.
The question was related to elimination of Central schemes and cut in funds in Central schemes.
Amid protests and sloganeering, Speaker Pradeep Kumar Amat adjourned the House at 11.34 am till 3 pm. Later, BJD members went to the Mahatma Gandhi Statue and staged a dhrana in the Assembly compound.
As the House reassembled, Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra raising the CBI entry issue demanded that the Speaker direct the Government to clarify in the House if the CBI had really entered the Secretariat and, if true, why and on whose permission it had entered the Secretariat.
Besides, he raised the issue of manhandling of agitating farmers at Malipur under Pattamundia block in Kendrapada district.
“Police are not allowing farmers to enter the capital city to place legitimate demands before the Government.
When they are staging agitations at block levels, BJD goons are threatening them of dire consequences,” Mishra alleged and urged the Speaker to direct the State Government to stop such hooliganism by BJD workers.
As the Speaker didn’t respond, Congress
members rushed into the Well of the House and kept demanding direction from the Chair.
Unable to run proceedings, the Speaker adjourned the House at 3.11 pm till 4.41 pm and then till Tuesday morning.