The State Assembly was stalled for the third consecutive day on Thursday as BJP members insisted on demanding action against the Koraput district Collector for suspending and transferring 11 clerical staffs in connection with Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s chopper landing approval and an unconditional apology from BJD member Maheswar Sahoo for his derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
As the House met for the day at 10.30 am, BJP members trouped into the Well of the House shouting slogans against the Government for directing Koraput Collector to initiate actions against clerks for giving permission to the Union Minister Pradhan’s chopper landing at Boriguma during the panchayat poll campaigning.
Rabi Naik tried to climb atop the Speaker’s podium during the protest.
Unable to run the proceedings, Speaker Niranjan Pujari adjourned the House at 10.32 am till 11.30 am. When the House reassembled, leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra raised the farmer issue again and pulled up the State Government over farmer’s death in Bargarh and distress sale of vegetables across the State.
He termed the State Government as dumb and deaf while alleging that it has not taken death of a poor farmer in Bargarh district seriously and any measure to protect farmers from distress sale of vegetables.
Mishra demanded that the district Collector of Bargarh be asked for a report on death of farmer Khainu Bagarty and the report be placed in the Assembly soon. He too demanded that all the distress sale-affected farmers be identified and compensated at the earliest.
In response, Speaker Pujari directed Agriculture Minister Pradeep Maharathy to submit a reply on the alleged distress sale of vegetables in the State and the Bargarh farmer’s death by March 4.
This time too, the BJP members rushed into the Well of the House in support of their demand. During this period BJD member Maheswar Sahoo gave some derogatory remarks on the Prime Minister on his statements at a public rally in Uttar Pradesh about poverty of Odisha.
The BJP members opposed it and demanded that the MlA tender an apology and his derogatory remarks be expunged. The Speaker then expunged the remarks.
However, the saffron party members insisted that Sahoo tender an apology or else the House can’t be run.
The Speaker adjourned the House twice till 3 pm given the commotion.
As the situation remained unaltered, the Speaker adjourned the House thrice till 5 pm and then for the day.