Odisha Assembly Monsoon session: 12 Bills in 36 hours get Opposition fuming

BHUBANESWAR: Members will get only around 36 hours during the eight days of the Monsoon session of the Assembly to discuss 12 Bills to replace ordinances and other important issues. Pointing this out, the Opposition Congress and BJP have lashed at the State Government for the undue haste being shown to push the Bills through.

“In such an extraordinary situation, the State Government should not come out with legislations that affect a large number of people,” leader of the Congress Legislature Party Narasingh Mishra said.What was the hurry to bring the Universities and Agriculture Bills in such a short session of the Assembly, Mishra said and added that it will take two to three days to discuss these legislations in detail. The Universities Bill will affect the entire education system and needs a thorough debate, he said.

He also questioned the urgency in introducing Bills for contract farming and opening market yards. The Government should have held these Bills till normalcy returns. The Government is only taking advantage of the situation to bulldoze the bills, he said and added that the ruling BJD has a huge majority and nobody can stop it from passing them in five minutes.

Opposition chief whip and BJP leader Mohan Majhi said that the Government is planning to rush through the bills without discussion. There is no time to discuss the 12 Bills, he said. The legislature party meetings of the BJD and Congress will meet tomorrow to finalise their strategy on these contentious matters.