Fertiliser shortage in Odisha triggered uproar in the Assembly on Friday, forcing repeated adjournments as Opposition members disrupted proceedings demanding immediate discussion on the crisis.
The House ran for barely eight minutes on the second day of the monsoon session. As soon as proceedings began, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) legislators stormed into the well, raising slogans and waving placards. They urged Speaker Surama Padhy to suspend all business and prioritise debate on the issue.
“What’s the point of discussing other matters when the fertiliser shortfall has hit the entire farming community?” they shouted, insisting on a thorough debate.
BJD chief whip Pramila Mallick said: “The state government has least concern for the farmers. Because of the short supply of manure, the paddy crop is on the verge of being ruined. The farmers across the state have been agitated over the issue and have raised their voice on the short supply of fertilisers. Since 60 per cent of the population is engaged in agricultural activities, we requested the Chair for a detailed discussion on this issue.”
Another MLA added: “All the business transactions should be stopped and the issue should be taken up for discussion.”
BJD members also dismissed the Congress’s adjournment motion as inadequate, arguing that a short discussion would not serve the purpose.
Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati said: “We issued a no-confidence motion against the government on Thursday. The BJD and the BJP are hand in glove. We wanted a discussion on the fertiliser issue. But they tactfully did not allow the House to run and stalled its proceedings.’
The BJP accused the Opposition BJD of obstructing the House proceedings. “They don’t believe in the parliamentary form of democracy. If they had some belief in it, they would have allowed the assembly to discuss the issue. It’s a deliberate attempt not to allow the Speaker to run the House,” BJP MLAs said.
BJP MLA Manoranjan Dyan Samantara added: “It’s the prerogative of the Speaker to adjourn the House. But the Question Hour be allowed to run the House. The Opposition is not interested in taking up the issue and their only objective is to defame the government.”
The Speaker adjourned the House four minutes after it opened in the morning, and again in the afternoon after a brief four-minute sitting, pushing proceedings to Saturday.
Meanwhile, reports of acute fertiliser shortage poured in from across Odisha, disrupting farming activities. Farmers staged protests and gheraoed Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) and Large Area Multipurpose Society (LAMP) offices.
Naba Nirman Krushak Sangathan convenor Akshya Kumar said: “There is a huge scarcity of fertiliser across the state. A conspiracy has been hatched to kill the farmers. We are going to gherao the Cuttack collector’s office on the farmers’ issue on September 22. If the government fails to supply the urea in time, the farmers will be ruined.”
Odisha requires 400,000MT of urea for the Kharif season alone.