Bhubaneswar: The assembly witnessed severe disruptions as members of both BJD and Congress launched protests over alleged mismanagement in paddy procurement across the state, forcing Speaker Surama Padhy to adjourn proceedings first till 11.30 am, then till 4 pm and again for the day, moments after it re-convened.As soon as the House met for question hour, BJD MLAs rushed to the Well carrying placards. The stir intensified when Congress MLAs joined in the protest, accusing the BJP govt of being “anti-farmer”. The Speaker repeatedly urged agitating members to return to their seats but with no response, she adjourned the House till 11.30 am.Outside the Assembly, the Congress legislature party leader Rama Chandra Kadam said his party had no option but to protest inside the House. “The govt is not procuring paddy, forcing farmers to distress sale. We have raised this several times but nothing has changed,” he said, adding that Congress MLAs would continue their stir until farmers’ issues are addressed.BJD MLA Byomakesh Ray said the party had been flagging the procurement problem for long but the govt had taken no corrective action. “The govt is refusing to take excess paddy and has imposed a 150-quintal cap though there is no such provision in the Food and Paddy Procurement Policy. If there is a bumper crop, what are farmers supposed to do? The govt must procure the entire stock,” he said.The ruling BJP slammed the opposition for disrupting the question hour. “This is a crucial time for raising issues important to people. The procurement process is going on smoothly across the state,” said BJP MLA Babu Singh.
