Farmer issue hogs limelight ahead of Assembly session

A day before the Winter session is scheduled to get underway in the State Assembly, all the three major political parties of Odisha today launched agitations centering on farmers' issues.
While the ruling BJD and opposition Congress leaders submitted memorandums to the Preisdent of India through the Odisha governor, the BJP activists staged a demonstration here.
Although both the BJD and the Congress demanded a hike in the minimum support price (MSP) on paddy from Rs 1,550 per quintal to Rs 2,930 per quintal, the saffron brigade demanded Rs 500 bonus for farmers on sale of every quintal of paddy.

The ruling party members, inclduing ministers and MLAs, participated in a dharna near Raj Bhavan before a delegation met Odisha governor S C Jamir.
The BJD leaders also said the party would intensify its stir for the enhanced MSP.
"We will take the agitation to the gram panchayat level," said BJD vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra.

Government chief whip and senior BJD leader Amar Prasad Satpathy said the state Assembly had earlier passed an unanimous resolution to demand paddy MSP at Rs 2,930 per quintal.
A House Committee headed by Assembly Speaker had also decided to meet the prime minister to press the demand. However, the prime minister did not give time to meet the delegation from Odisha.

The BJD has asked the Centre to seek apology from farmers. If the Centre fails to meet our demand by November 27, we will start agitating in all 30 districts, BJD general secretary Sanjay Das Burma had said.
A face-off ensued between the agitating BJP activists and police near the Rabindra Mandap here while the former were trying to barge into the State Secretariat after breaking the barricades.
The BJP agitators wanted to meet Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the Secretariat and were marching towards the office building when they were stopped by police following which a minor scuffle ensued.

A number of BJP leaders were arrested by the police after the face-off.