Bhushan issue, relief mismanagement to heat up winter assembly session

The winter session of the state assembly, which begins today, is likely to be stormy as Opposition parties have decided to take up accident in Bhushan plant and mismanagement in flood relief distribution to corner the government, along with allegation of involvement of ruling party members in suppressing the murder case of a woman teacher.

"There are many issues to discuss. But our focus will be law and order problem in the state, atrocities on women, failure of the government in ensuring safety measures in factories like Bhushan Steel Limited (BSL)," said Bhupinder Singh, leader of Opposition in the Odisha assembly, after the legislative party meeting of Congress.

Other issues will be chit fund scam and providing jobs to unemployed youth, he added.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intends to raise Bhushan plant mishap and the killing of a lady school teacher at Tikiri in Rayagada district. The party also plans to take up the issue of mismanagement in relief item distribution and use of wrongful means in winning western Odisha urban local body elections during the session that ends on 26 December.

The government's alleged failure to check prices of potato across the state recently is also likely to be raised in the House by the opposition legislators.

In a counter strategy, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has decided to highlight the step-motherly attitude of the Centre towards the state, particularly relating to central assistance for relief and restoration work in the cyclone and flood affected areas on the floor of the House.

"The prime minister had announced Rs 1,000 crore as central grant, but not a single rupee has arrived so far. We will also take up other topics like rupee devaluation and price rise of essential commodity and our demand for special category status to Odisha. We are ready to discuss whatever issues the Opposition brings up in the House," said BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The session will have 23 working days including four private members' days. As per the schedule, the supplementary budget of expenditure for the year 2013-14 will be tabled on November 29. Besides, the appropriation bill on the first supplementary statement of expenditure for the year 2013-14 will be presented on December 9 by finance minister Prasanna Acharya. The government has plans to discuss nine bills in the session, including five new ones. They are -Odisha Survey and Settlement (Amendment) bill, Odisha Pani Panchayat (Amendment) bill, Indian Stamp Act (Amendment) bill, Odisha Conduct of Examination bill and Odisha Contingency Fund Ordinance Replacement bill. The four other bills, introduced in the monsoon session will also come for discussion in the current session, said Kalpataru Das, parliamentary affairs minister of state government.