India News | Farmers' Issue: BJP Stages Walkout of Odisha Assembly; Congress Slams BJD Govt
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. After BJP members staged a walkout of the Odisha Assembly as their notice to discuss farmers' issues was rejected by the Speaker on Monday, the Congress lambasted the BJD government accusing it of working against the interests of peasants.
Bhubaneswar, Oct 5 (PTI) After BJP members staged a walkout of the Odisha Assembly as their notice to discuss farmers' issues was rejected by the Speaker on Monday, the Congress lambasted the BJD government accusing it of working against the interests of peasants.
The farmers' issue was raised in the House when Speaker S N Patro accepted a notice of the Congress for a debate on the admissibility of an adjournment motion.
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The state's principal opposition, the BJP, protested against the Speaker's action as he denied a similar notice served by the saffron party.
BJP members rushed to the well of the House and demanded that their notice on the farmers' issue be accepted instead of the Congress'.
BJP members for some time sat on a dharna on the floor of the well before staging a walkout leaving the debate to be participated by members of the Congress and the BJD.
"Odisha farmers are being denied the benefit of PM Kissan Samman Nidhi scheme. In the first instalment, 37 lakh of farmers had availed the benefit while the number came down to only 20 lakh in the sixth instalment. We had served a notice to discuss this," Leader of the Opposition P K Naik said.
Naik claimed that nearly 20 lakh farmers could not get the benefit of the scheme as the state did not send the list of beneficiaries to the Centre.
Outside the House, he alleged that the Speaker accepted the Congress' notice as part of an understanding between the BJD and the Congress.
While initiating the debate, Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingha Mishra blamed the state government for the miseries of farmers in the state.
"Farmers in Odisha suffer because of the pathetic attitude of the BJD government," he said adding that the rural economy has been shattered in the state.
He said that the farm laws passed recently in Parliament would further worsen the financial condition of farmers across the country as well as in Odisha.
"Though the new farm bills are against the interests of farmers, BJD MPs did not oppose it strongly in Parliament. Their opposition was just an eyewash," Mishra claimed, adding that farmers should be provided a monthly pension of Rs 6,000 during the pandemic.
Congress member Taraprasad Bahinipati claimed that farmers in Odisha suffered due to an unholy deal between the millers and government officers and they are not getting the proper MSP.
Agriculture and Farmer Empowerment Minister Arun Kumar Sahoo, however, rejected the allegations made by the Congress members and claimed that the state's BJD government is committed to safeguard the interests of farmers.
Sahoo said that the state has so far received the central governments Krishi Karnam Award six times.
"The food grain production has increased to 2.25 crore MT to 55 lakh MT during the BJD government," the minister said adding that the per capita income of farmers has gone up to Rs 51,000 from Rs 20,000 per annum after the BJD came to power in 2000.
The minister read out the list of measures being taken by the state government to help farmers during the pandemic.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)