Bhubaneswar, 21 February (H.S.): The functioning of the Odisha Legislative Assembly remained disrupted for the fourth consecutive day as opposition parties raised strong protests over irregularities in paddy procurement and other issues faced by farmers. The continuous disruptions by BJD and Congress legislators affected the Question Hour and Zero Hour sessions on the fifth day of the budget session.
The day’s proceedings began at 10:30 AM as per the scheduled agenda. Assembly Speaker Surama Padhi called upon Minister for Women and Child Development and Deputy Chief Minister Prabhati Parida to respond to the questions during Question Hour. While Minister Parida attempted to answer the queries, opposition legislators continued to stage a strong protest, highlighting irregularities in the paddy procurement system and farmers’ grievances.
Protesting legislators carried banners and raised slogans in the central part of the House, creating a noisy and disruptive environment. The Speaker repeatedly urged the members to return to their seats and cooperate with the House proceedings, but the opposition continued their demonstration.
As a result, the first session of the day was adjourned at 11:30 AM. Even after resuming, the disruptions persisted, forcing the Speaker to finally announce the adjournment of the House at 4:00 PM.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda
