Odisha Assembly Witness Tense Scenes Over MMDR Act and Textbook Blunders; BJP Slams Opposition Walkout Naveen Patnaik left Assembly

Bhubaneswar (Odisha Tazanews) :- The Odisha Legislative Assembly witnessed immediate disruptions on the opening day of its session following obituary references, as opposition parties staged vehement protests. While Congress MLAs raised slogans over the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Amendment Act, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) members targeted the government over printing mistakes in school textbooks.

​Weighing in on the chaos, senior BJP MLA Irashis Acharya asserted that the ruling government is fully prepared to deliberate on both matters on the floor of the House. ​”The BJP government is always ready to discuss both issues. We have already accepted Congress’s notice for a discussion on the MMDR Act. However, instead of participating in the assembly proceedings, they chose to protest outside,” Acharya stated.

​Addressing the controversy surrounding school textbooks, Acharya noted that corrective measures are well underway, with 50,000 amended books already distributed to students. Criticizing the conduct of the opposition, the BJP MLA accused the leadership of deliberately shying away from legislative accountability.

He specifically targeted the Leader of the Opposition, claiming that avoiding the House is a recurring pattern. Acharya claimed that the Leader of the Opposition left the House immediately after the assembly was disrupted, noting that “it is not a new thing for him” to dodge legislative debates.

Questioning the rationale behind the demonstrations, Acharya emphasized, “People have sent us to the assembly to discuss their problems. Why are they creating disturbances instead of utilizing the platform?” ​The ongoing monsoon session is expected to remain stormy as treasury and opposition benches lock horns over mineral rights, administrative oversight, and educational reforms.