Bhubaneswar,: The second phase of the Odisha Assembly’s Budget Session has failed to proceed smoothly. The opposition remains steadfast in its stance, while the ruling party refuses to yield. As both sides stand firm in their positions, the Assembly has remained in a state of deadlock for 12 days. Speaker Surama Padhi attempted to restore normalcy by calling two all-party meetings, but no resolution was reached.
The Congress opposition has been demanding the formation of a House Committee on the issue of women’s harassment, while the main opposition party, BJD, continues to raise a new issue daily, cornering the ruling party. Both opposition parties have disrupted House proceedings with slogans and protests, preventing question hour, zero hour, or any substantial discussions from taking place.
While the BJD has abstained from discussions on budget allocations, Congress has continued its protests. As in previous days, on Tuesday as well, both opposition parties—BJD and Congress—refused to return to their seats, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House until 11:30 AM. Later, the Speaker convened another all-party meeting.
As soon as proceedings resumed, Congress members approached the Speaker’s podium, ringing bells and protesting.
BJD MLA Allegedly Attacked
The BJD alleged that the opposition is not being heard by the government, while Congress stated they will continue their agitation until women’s safety is ensured. The BJP accused the opposition of being escapist.
Congress members, holding placards, bells, and whistles, gathered near the Speaker’s podium to protest. The BJD demanded 27% reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in medical and engineering education and employment, raising slogans alongside Congress members near the podium.
Despite repeated appeals, opposition members continued their disruption, leading to the cancellation of two working days. Instead of resuming discussions, the House had to be adjourned repeatedly. Even in the afternoon session, no resolution was reached, forcing the Speaker to adjourn proceedings until 4 PM.
Government vs. Opposition
BJD MLA Pranab Prakash Das stated that the government is willing to discuss all issues, but the opposition is deliberately stalling proceedings. He asserted that the people of Odisha will hold the opposition accountable for its actions.
Leader of the Congress Legislature Party, Ramachandra Kadam, criticized the government for the deadlock and questioned why it was unwilling to form a House Committee on women’s harassment. He declared that Congress will continue its agitation until women’s safety is ensured.
BJP MLA Ashok Mohanty accused the opposition of deliberately paraly