Winter session of Odisha assembly set to be stormy

The winter session of the Odisha assembly, beginning on Tuesday, is all set to be stormy as opposition Congress and BJP are all geared up to raise issues, including farmers' suicides, to put the government on the mat.

The government, on the other hand, has decided to highlight its achievements while trying to use its most tried and tested 'central neglect' issue to counter the opposition.

The legislature party of Odisha BJP on Sunday chalked out strategies for the ensuing assembly session. They decided to demand a white paper over the farmers' suicides issue and the drought situation.

"This is one of the worst droughts in Odisha after 1965. Farmers continue to commit suicide. We are going to make drought and farmers' suicide our main agenda in the assembly," BJP lawmaker Pradeep Purohit said.

The party legislators also decided to take up other important issues, including ration card distribution and irregularities in National Food Security Act (NFSA) enrolment, plight of various types of teachers and the law and order situation in the state.

Leader of opposition and senior Congress leader Narasingh Mishra said the party would raise the farmers' suicide and drought issues in the assembly and demand that the government make its stand clear over the deaths of farmers.

With the state government maintaining that no farmer has committed suicide due to crop loss and loan burden, Mishra said his party has already conducted an investigation by a reliable agency and it would be put forth in the assembly.

The ruling BJD, having 117 members out of 147 seats in the house, is all set to steam-roller the demands with its brute majority in the house.

"We are ready to discuss any issue to be raised by the opposition -- be it the drought situation or law and order," said BJD chief whip Ananta Das.

He said the party would hold its legislature party meeting on Monday to chalk out the strategy for the assembly session.

The winter session of the Odisha legislative assembly will begin on December 1 and end on December 26.