Slogan shouting opposition Congress MLAs stormed into the well of the Orissa assembly today demanding suspension of all business to discuss recent farmers' deaths, disrupting the question hour.
As soon as the House assembled, Congress legislators led by leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh demanded that the question hour be suspended to discuss the issue of farmers' deaths in different parts of the state, driven by mounting debt and crop failure which was caused by lack of water and pest attack.
When their plea went unheeded, several Congress MLAs trooped into the well raising slogans against the BJD government and some of them tried to climb the Speaker's podium and table.
As the uproarious scenes went on, Speaker Pradip Amat adjourned the house till 11.30 hrs.
When the house re-assembled, the leader of opposition said though farmers continued to die one after another due to crop failure and loan burden, the BJD government remained unconcerned and unsympathetic towards peasants' plight.
Regretting that the Congress' demand for obituary reference to condole the death of farmers got rejected, Bhupinder Singh said a meeting of leaders of all parties be convened after suspending business in the assembly to take a decision on the matter.
After members expressed their views on whether obituary reference can be made for farmers committing suicide, the house was adjourned twice in quick successions for ten minutes each as Congress MLAs stormed into the well when the chair rejected their plea for condoling farmers' deaths.
When the house reassembled, the opposition members stuck to their demand. Sensing their mood, the chair adjourned the House till 5 pm.
Congress MLA SS Saluja said if obituary reference can be made for jawans who had laid down their lives for the nation, the same practice can be followed in case of farmers, who feed the countrymen with their produce.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Raghunath Mohanty said there was no need to raise the issue during zero hour as the matter is scheduled to be discussed at length during an adjournment motion.
Joining the attack, BJP's Jayanarayan Mishra said the government remained apathetic towards farmers' plight caused by inadequate rains, lack of irrigation and loan burden.
Comments