Fertiliser crisis triggers chaos in Odisha Assembly; House adjourned till tomorrow

Bhubaneswar, Sept 19: The Odisha Assembly on Thursday plunged into repeated uproars as the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) raised the issue of fertiliser scarcity across the state, forcing Speaker Surama Padhy to adjourn proceedings multiple times before finally deferring the session till 10 AM tomorrow.

The day began with disruptions during Question Hour, when BJD legislators stormed into the well of the House holding placards and shouting slogans against the BJP-led government. The MLAs accused the ruling party of being “anti-farmer” and ignoring the plight of cultivators struggling to procure fertilisers during the ongoing kharif season. Despite repeated appeals from the Speaker to restore order, the House functioned for barely four minutes before being adjourned till 4 PM.

When the House reassembled in the afternoon, the chaos continued, with BJD members demanding a special discussion on fertiliser black marketing. Unable to maintain decorum, the Speaker adjourned the Assembly once again.

The agitation comes a day after Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra admitted that black marketing of fertilisers was indeed taking place. Outside the House, Opposition chief whip Pramila Mallik alleged that the government had “failed farmers” and forced them onto the streets in protest.