Opposition paralyse Odisha Assbly for second day over demand for a debate on mining scam

Bhubaneswar : The Odisha Assembly continued to remain paralysed for the second day today as Opposition BJP and Congress stalled the business over mining scam and suicide of a youth after being denied treatment.
The Opposition on Wednesday disrupted the business, gheraoed Speaker S N Patra in his office chamber for rejecting a demand on debate over the mining scam in the state.
The house was unable to transact any business listed for today, the concluding day of the monsoon session, in the pre- lunch session following uproar by the opposition members.
As the house plunged into a chaotic situation the Speaker adjourned it till 1600hrs in two phases —the first being at 1030hrs till 1130 and then from 1130 till 1600 hrs .
The problem cropped up right from the time the house assembled for the day to take up the question hour business.
As soon as Tourism and Culture Minister Jyoti Ranjan Panigrahi stood up to reply to a question, the opposition Congress members stormed into the well of the house demanding the Speaker to explain the reason for the rejection of their notice for an adjournment motion on mining issues.
The house on Wednesday adopted only four bills in a hurry during the post lunch session.
The Speaker who had rejected the Congress demand for a debate on the mining scam on Wednesday, today also rejected the notice given by the BJP on mining scam but in a different form.
Opposition Chief Whip Mohan Majhi also raised the issue of death of Dusmanta Das , a youth from the Kunjanga area of Jagatsinghpur district who attempted a suicide in front of the state Assembly yesterday in protest against denial of treatment.
He was rushed to the SCB Medical College and hospital where he died late last night.
Mr Majhi alleged that the youth was denied treatment despite being a card holder of Odisha government’s BSKY scheme and the direction of the Health secretary to provide him treatment .
Peeved over the Speaker’s decision, the members of the BJP and the Congress created a ruckus in the House.
The treasury bench members,as a counter strategy , shouted slogans alleging negligence of the central government in providing required quantity of fertiliser in time to the state and failure to give compensation to the farmers under the Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana.
Later the treasury bench members in protest staged a dharna in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue inside the Assembly premises.
They demanded MSP of paddy as per the recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee and adequate supply of fertilizer to the state.
Realising that the functioning of the house could not be conducted smoothly anymore the Speaker adjourned the house at 1031 hours till 1130hrs.
After the house reassembled at 1130 hrs there was no change in the situation and the Opposition members continued to shout slogans. Finding no alternative the Speaker again adjourned the house till 1600hrs.
The Opposition Chief Whip described the ruling of the Speaker rejecting their notice for adjournment as very unfortunate.He held the government responsible for the death of the youth who attempted suicide before the state Assembly on Wednesday.
Congress member Santosh Singh Saluja alleged that the Speaker did not allow a discussion on the mining scam under the pressure of the government even though the notice was given in a proper way.
The government,he said was deliberately avoiding a discussion on the mining scam since it was involved in it.