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Regular-article-logo Wednesday, 02 July 2025

House row over apology

The Opposition Congress and BJP on Thursday stalled Assembly proceedings before staging a walkout demanding an apology from food supplies and consumer welfare minister Surya Narayan Patro for making a statement outside the House on Wednesday.

OUR CORRESPONDENT Published 15.12.17, 12:00 AM
Surya Narayan Patro

Bhubaneswar: The Opposition Congress and BJP on Thursday stalled Assembly proceedings before staging a walkout demanding an apology from food supplies and consumer welfare minister Surya Narayan Patro for making a statement outside the House on Wednesday.

"Ministers are supposed to make statements in the House when the Assembly is in session. But Patro violated the norms by making the statement outside when the Opposition was seeking a reply from the government on the issue of distress sale and the paddy procurement," said Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra.

"Such an act amounts to breach of privilege of the House. The minister should tender an apology to the House or the Speaker should initiate action against him," he said.

BJP state president Basant Panda supported Mishra: "Such an act is an insult to the House and detrimental to its democratic values."

However, Patro remained defiant, though he made a statement in the House detailing the measures taken by his department relating to paddy procurement and to prevent distress sale.

Patro told reporters that the Speaker's office did not direct him to make any statement, when he spoke to the media at 10.35am.

Later, at 11.30am, the Speaker asked him to reply to the issues raised by the Leader of Opposition.

"I have not done anything to show to the Assembly. I am making a statement on the Chair's direction," he said.

Later, Patro informed the House that the paddy procurement process had already started and by December 13, 14 districts had taken part in kharif procurement. The government had already purchased 6.29 lakh metric tonnes of paddy worth Rs 976 crore from 99,907 farmers.

"A sum of Rs 750 crore has been transferred to the bank accounts of these farmers online," he said.

Stating that the quality of paddy was affected by drought, pest attack and unseasonal rain, Patro said he had requested the Centre to relax the fair average quality (FAQ) norms.

"However, we have not received any response yet," said Patro.

Patro's answers failing to satisfy them, Congress and BJP members staged separate walkouts.

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