Bhubaneswar, 7 March (H.S.) The second phase of Odisha Assembly’s budget session began today, but the proceedings during the first half were disrupted by intense protests from opposition BJD and Congress MLAs. BJD legislators raised concerns about the perceived disrespect towards Biju Patnaik, while Congress MLAs focused on the issue of women’s safety in the state.

Due to these protests, Assembly Speaker Surama Padhi was forced to repeatedly adjourn the session, preventing the Question Hour and other proceedings from taking place.

Before the session began at 10:30 AM, BJD and Congress MLAs created significant chaos over their respective issues. BJD lawmakers opposed the decision to change Panchayati Raj Divas from Biju Babu’s birthday on March 5, arguing it was disrespectful to the late leader. Meanwhile, Congress legislators expressed alarm over the growing insecurity faced by women in the state, blaming the BJP government for the situation. Opposition MLAs were seen shouting slogans in front of the Speaker’s podium and attempting to climb onto it.

Despite the Speaker’s repeated calls for calm, the protests continued, resulting in the disruption of the Question Hour and other parliamentary proceedings in the first half of the session.

When the session resumed at 12 PM, the same tumultuous environment persisted, with BJD and Congress MLAs continuing their demonstrations. The Speaker again appealed for order, but the opposition members remained unresponsive, leading to the Speaker’s decision to adjourn the session until 4 PM.

It is important to note that the second phase of the Odisha Assembly’s budget session commenced today. During this phase, demand discussions on budget allocations for various departments will occur from March 10 to March 28. Due to holidays on March 30 (Sunday) and March 31 (Eid al-Fitr), the Appropriation Bill is scheduled to be passed on March 29.

The first phase of the budget session was held from February 13 to 21.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda