Bhubaneswar, Sep 22 (PTI) The Odisha Assembly’s Monsoon Session began on Tuesday amid pandemonium as opposition members stormed the well of the House over the amended mining law and errors in new textbooks for school children, forcing multiple adjournments.
The proceedings were first halted till 1.30 pm and again till 4 pm, before being adjourned for the day, allowing the House to conduct business only for 13 minutes — two minutes in the pre-lunch session and 11 minutes in the afternoon.
The session began with obituary references to six former members of the Assembly and those killed in the Nepal flash floods. Soon after, BJD and Congress MLAs trooped into the well, raising slogans against the BJP government over the passage of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026, in Parliament and errors in textbooks for school children.
While the BJD MLAs protested against errors in school textbooks, the Congress members demanded repeal of the MMDR Amendment Act. BJD members raised slogans demanding School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond’s resignation over the textbook issue.
Amid the din, Speaker Surama Padhy appealed to the MLAs to return to their seats, but in vain. The Speaker then adjourned the proceedings till 1.10 pm.
The BJD MLAs then reached the Mahatma Gandhi Marg, where the party’s youth and student wing members are staging an ‘Assembly Gherao’ agitation.
“We joined the agitation demanding Gond’s resignation over errors in textbooks. The minister must be held accountable for the distribution of the error-ridden books to school children,” said Opposition chief whip Pramila Mallik.
When the House reassembled at 1.10 pm, opposition members refused to return to their seats. Deputy Speaker Bhabani Shankar Bhoi announced adjournment of proceedings till 4 pm.
Upon resumption of the proceeding after 4 pm, opposition MLAs continued their agitation in well of the House and repeated requests by the chair to return to their seats fell to deaf ears. Finally, Deputy Speaker Bhoi announced adjournment of the proceeding till Wednesday.
Amid the din in the afternoon, the chair allowed introduction of certain bills. There was no Question Hour or Zero Hour. Debates on adjournment motions could be taken up due to the pandemonium.
BJP MLA Irasish Acharya criticised the opposition for disrupting the proceedings. “The government has taken action in the textbook error matter. Corrected books are being distributed. They create noise without any justified reason,” he said.
Earlier on the day, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi moved condolence resolutions expressing grief over the demise of former ministers Dambaru Majhi and Sushant Singh, former chief whip Satya Bhushan Sahu, and former members Ramamurti Gamango, Haji Mohammad Ayub Khan, and Shivaji Majhi.
He also moved a resolution mourning the loss of life in recent catastrophic floods across Nepal and parts of India.
Leader of Opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik, Congress Legislature Party Leader Ramachandra Kadam, and CPI(M) leader Laxman Munda also expressed condolences. Speaker Padhy offered heartfelt condolences, and the House observed a one-minute silence in honour of the departed souls.
The nine-day Monsoon Session of the Assembly, scheduled to run until October 3, is expected to see the introduction of six key bills.
(PTI News)
