Budget session beginning from March 20 to be stormy affair

BHUBANESWAR: The budget session of the assembly beginning from March 20 is likely to be a stormy affair as the opposition Congress and BJP are going to raise a host of issues to put the government is an embarassing situation.

After the victory in the by-election to the Bijepur assembly constituency with an overwhelming margin, the BJD is likely to target the four year old Narendra Modi government at the Centre for non-fulfilment of promises. Besides, the BJD will resort to its old tactic of central neglect and raise issues including non-revision of minimum support price (MSP) on paddy and rejection of the state government's demand to create three new railway divisions under the East Coast Railway (ECR).

“Centre delayed formation of tribunal on Mahanadi river water dispute and ignored Odisha's demand to ensure that Chhattisgarh stops construction activities in the upper catchment areas of Mahanadi river,” deputy government chief whip Rohit Pujari said and added The BJD will also raise the Polavaram dam project built unilaterally by Andhra Pradesh and other issues to target the Centre for neglecting Odisha.

The BJD legislature party (BJPLP) will meet here tomorrow to discuss the strategy to be adopted by the party during the budget session.

Leader of the opposition in the assembly and Congress veteran Narasingh Mishra said the party raise issues like acute shortage of drinking water, largescale vacancies in the post of doctors and teachers
in rural areas and anti-farmer policies of the state government during the session. Stating that though the farmers are on an agitation for several days now, Mishra said there is no response from the government so far. Besides, quality of education has also gone down because of lack of teachers in schools, many of the buildings of which are in a dilapidated condition. Besides, the difference between the rich and poor is also growing pointing towards the failure of the Centre and the state government, he said.

Alleging that the state government has failed to take any steps to solve the growing unemployment problem, Mishra said the all party assembly constituted on different issues including Mahanadi river
water dispute, railway and environment are not functioning. “The institution to which we are elected is going to be paralysed,” he said.

Secretary of the BJP legislature party Rabi Narayan Naik said the legislature party will meet tomorrow to discuss strategy for the session. He said the deteriorating law and order situation, formation of tribal councils with a political notice and neglect of farmers will be major issues to be raised by the party during the session, he said.