The Odisha Assembly was adjourned twice today during the pre-lunch session as the opposition BJP and the ruling BJD members created an uproar over farmer suicide and Polavaram project.
As the House assembled for the question hour, the BJP MLAs rushed to the well of the House, asking the state government to acknowledge cases of farmer suicides in the state due to crop loss and loan burden.
The agitating BJP members shouted anti-government slogan and dubbed the BJD government as "anti-farmer". The MLAs claimed that 35 farmers have committed suicide during this kharif season allegedly due to drought, pest attack and unseasonal rains.
Unable to control the pandemonium, Speaker P K Amat adjourned the House till noon.
When the House reassembled, the ruling BJD members shouted anti-BJP slogans, accusing the central government of supporting the Andhra Pradesh government, which allegedly violated law by raising the height of Indira Sagar Dam project, also known as the Polavaram project.
The ruckus prompted Amat to adjourn the House again for another 30 minutes.
When the House met thereafter, the speaker allowed a debate on the supplementary budget of home and general administration departments.
Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra of the Congress criticised the ruling BJD and the BJP for disrupting the proceedings of the House.
"Around 2.5 hours was wasted by the BJP and the BJD today. The BJP could have raised the issue of farmer suicide without disrupting the crucial question hour. The BJD MLAs, too, could have made their point without creating a ruckus in the House," Mishra added.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)