BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Legislative Assembly remained deadlocked on Monday amid raucous opposition protests over rampant irregularities in paddy procurement at mandis and calls to discuss the Epstein files. BJD and Congress members ensured zero productivity, underscoring acute farmer distress under the BJP regime.
Proceedings derailed instantly at 10:30 AM when BJD MLAs surged into the well, posters in hand, targeting the Speaker’s podium with fierce anti-government chants. They alleged large-scale corruption in state-wide mandi dealings, leaving farmers high and dry without paddy buybacks or MSP disbursements.
Congress joined forces, fueling the uproar with insistent pleas for an Epstein files debate. Speaker Surama Padhi urged calm and a return to seats multiple times, to no avail. The relentless din compelled successive adjournments, culminating in a postponement to 4 PM.
Senior BJD figure Devi Shankar Mishra later confronted the media outside, roundly condemning the government for the stalemate. “I’m embarrassed by these circumstances,” he stated. “Democracy’s goal is uplifting the poorest, farmers, backward sections, and deprived communities—a goal this government has miserably failed.”
He slammed inaction on promises like free electricity quotas and MSP revisions, even as seed, fertilizer, and input prices skyrocket. “The government disregards farmers amid rising costs,” Mishra asserted.
As BJD gears up for a grand Tuesday rally in the capital, the assembly gridlock highlights simmering discontent. This farmer-centric showdown not only stalls lawmaking but also spotlights governance challenges in one of India’s key agrarian states.