Odisha Assembly adjourned till Monday amid BJD protests over fertiliser shortage issue
Chaos erupted in the Odisha Assembly on the third day of its monsoon session as opposition BJD lawmakers protested fiercely over a severe fertilizer shortage and black marketing plaguing the state. The uproar forced repeated adjournments, derailing the day’s proceedings in Bhubaneswar.
Right after the question hour kicked off, BJD members rushed to the center of the House, waving placards and banners. They shouted slogans right in front of Speaker Surama Padhy’s podium, demanding action on the fertilizer crisis. Padhy urged them to return to their seats and let the session run, but the members wouldn’t budge. Frustrated by the ongoing pandemonium, she adjourned the House until 4 p.m.
When lawmakers reconvened in the afternoon, the BJD group charged back into the well of the House. They blasted the state government for fertilizer scarcity, black marketing, and farmer-unfriendly policies that leave farmers struggling. Despite Padhy’s pleas for order, the noise only grew louder, making it impossible to continue. She finally called it quits, postponing the session until Monday at 10:30 a.m.
The BJD, as the main opposition party, is pushing hard for a full debate on the fertilizer crisis in Odisha. They want all normal business suspended to tackle the issue head-on. Lawmakers accuse the government of failing to supply enough fertilizers to farmers, forcing many to buy from the black market at sky-high prices. “The state government is directly responsible for this fertilizer black marketing in Odisha,” they charged.
In a related move, a BJD delegation met Odisha Governor Raghubar Das on Saturday evening to highlight the dire fertilizer shortage affecting farmers across the state. Senior BJD leader and Deputy Opposition Leader Prasanna Acharya spoke to reporters afterward, slamming the government’s claims of ample stocks. “If fertilizers are really available, why are thousands of farmers lining up at cooperative societies and going home empty-handed without a single bag?” he asked pointedly.
Acharya said the group asked the Governor to step in and push the government to ensure timely fertilizer supplies for Odisha’s farmers. According to him, the Governor took the matter seriously and promised to advise the state administration to act fast.
This isn’t the first time the issue has ground the Assembly to a halt. On Friday, the second day of the monsoon session, similar BJD protests over fertilizer scarcity and black marketing washed out most of the day—only about eight to ten minutes of actual business got done amid the ruckus.
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