Odisha Assembly Witnesses Uproar over Alleged Paddy Procurement Mismanagement

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly witnessed intense disruptions for the second consecutive day on Thursday as MLAs of the BJD and Congress staged protests over alleged irregularities in the ongoing Kharif paddy procurement process.

Soon after the House convened for Question Hour at 10:30 am, members of the opposition rushed to the Well of the House carrying placards and raising slogans against the state government. Some BJD legislators climbed onto the Speaker’s podium during the protest.

The BJD alleged that widespread mismanagement in paddy procurement had led to harassment and distress among farmers across the state.

The Congress members also targeted the BJP-led government, accusing it of failing to fulfill key pre-election promises, including the commitment to provide 300 units of free electricity.

Despite repeated appeals from Speaker Surama Padhy urging members to resume their seats, the protests continued unabated, forcing her to adjourn the House till 11:30 am.

During the brief three-minute functioning of the House in Question Hour, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling responded to queries related to the Water Resources Department raised by two MLAs.

However, when the Assembly reconvened for Zero Hour, similar scenes of disruption resurfaced. Within six minutes, Speaker Padhy announced a second adjournment till 4 pm.

BJD MLA Goutam Buddha Das demanded the resignation of Food Supplies Minister KC Patra and an official apology from the government to farmers. Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, he alleged that the government was not engaging with affected farmers and that state-run mandis were refusing to procure paddy on various pretexts, worsening their plight.

Congress MLA Sofia Firdous accused the government of being indifferent to public grievances. She condemned remarks allegedly labeling farmers as “fake” and dismissing their concerns as “drama,” asserting that such statements reflected the ruling party’s disregard for people’s voices.

Meanwhile, BJP MLA Manoranjan Dyan Samantray dismissed the protests as politically motivated, accusing the opposition of shedding “crocodile tears” over farmers’ issues. He said the BJD and Congress were attempting to extract political mileage rather than genuinely address farmers’ concerns, and urged them to participate in constructive discussions within the Assembly.