Bhubaneswar: The Winter Session of the Odisha Assembly commencing from Tuesday is likely to be stormy as both the Opposition BJD, Congress and ruling BJP are bracing up to attack each other over several issues.
At a meeting Monday, Speaker Surama Padhy urged members of all the parties to cooperate for the smooth functioning of the House which is scheduled to continue till December 31.
“Today’s all-party meeting before the beginning of the session has been fruitful as the leaders have assured me of full cooperation,” Padhy told reporters.
Apart from Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Opposition Chief Whip Pramila Mallik of BJD, Congress Legislature Party leader Ram Chandra Kadam, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling and others attended the meeting.
Majhi, who is also in charge of the finance department, will present the supplementary budget Tuesday.
The three major parties — BJD, Congress and BJP — also held their legislature party meetings ahead of the session.
After the BJP legislature party meeting, senior leader and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling said, “We are prepared for discussion on any issue to be raised by the opposition. The BJP members will also raise issues like the state government’s achievements and others.”
Alleging that the law and order situation has been severely affected after BJP forming government in the state since June this year, Opposition Chief Whip Pramila Mallik said the party will raise several issues like deaths of three tribal women by eating mango kernel gruel “due to lack of food grain”, selling of new born babies in Rayagada and Bolangir, rape of minor girls and irregularities in the paddy procurement.
CLP leader Ram Chandra Kadam said that Congress MLAs will raise issues like unemployment, price rise and law and order issues.
Meanwhile, the police have made a three-lawyer security arrangements in and around the state Assembly for the session.
Around 30 platoons of police force along with 300 police officers under the supervision of DCP Bhubaneswar will look after the security during the session, Odisha DGP YB Khurania said.
In the 147-member Assembly, the BJP has 78 members, the BJD 51, the Congress 14, and the CPI (M) one, while there are also three Independent MLAs.
PTI