Odisha Assembly winter session set to be stormy

Winter session of Odisha Assembly beginning tomorrow is poised to be stormy with opposition Congress and BJP gearing up to raise a host of issues like drought and farmers' suicide.
Among the major issues to be raised by Congress are the severe drought in the state and suicide by a large number of distressed farmers, Leader of Opposition Narasingh Mishra said.
Stating that the party would ask the Naveen Patnaik Government to make its stand clear on farmers' deaths, Mishra said the BJD regime, which has been claiming that no farmer in the state has committed suicide due to crop failure or debt burden, would be cornered.

He said Congress which has got the matter enquired by a reliable agency would place facts before the House.
The main opposition party would also target the BJD government on issues like 'irregularities' in distribution of ration cards under the National Food Security Act, 'crumbling' healthcare system, 'ailing' education sector and growing unemployment in the state, Mishra said.
Similarly, BJP is also all set to train its gun at the BJD Government and would demand a white paper on the drought situation and farmers' suicide in the state.

Describing the 2015 drought as one of the worst droughts in Odisha after 1965, BJP legislator Pradip Purohit said the party would seek clarification from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who is also in charge of Water Resources department, on the status of irrigation in the state.

The BJP members would raise questions on alleged irregularities in distribution of ration cards and NFSA enrolment in the State. Mineral smuggling will also be made an issue, Purohit added.
Alleging that the law and order situation has gone for a toss, Purohit claimed that innocent civilians have been killed in the name of Maoists in Kalahandi.
The ruling BJD, on its part, would raise a number of issues like substantial cut in funds by the Centre for several programmes, said chief minister Naveen Patnaik after the legislature party meeting.
Other issues like Polavaram irrigation project issue would also figure in the House, he said.

BJD is ready to discuss any issue to be raised by the opposition, said BJD chief whip Ananta Das.
The winter session of the Assembly is scheduled to end on December 26.