Odisha: Assembly Rocked By Protests Over MMDR, Textbook Errors
Congress seeks withdrawal of amended mining law; BJD demands School Education Minister’s resignation
The Odisha Assembly witnessed noisy scenes for the second consecutive day on Wednesday as Congress and BJD members disrupted proceedings over the amended Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act and alleged errors in school textbooks.
As Question Hour began, Congress MLAs entered the Well of the House carrying placards and raising slogans demanding withdrawal of the amended MMDR law. BJD members simultaneously protested over alleged errors in textbooks and demanded the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond.
Despite repeated appeals by Deputy Speaker Bhabani Shankar Bhoi to the protesting members to return to their seats, the uproar continued, forcing him to adjourn the House till 4 pm.
Congress legislator Ramachandra Kadam questioned how the State would compensate for what he described as a potential loss of around Rs 15,000 crore in revenue following the changes in the mining law.
“How will you compensate for the loss of Rs 15,000 crore? If you don’t have any income, where will you compensate it from?” Mr Kadam asked, alleging that Odisha’s interests and rights over its mineral resources had been compromised.
“First, withdraw this black law, and then come for discussions. We will definitely be ready to discuss,” he said, adding that the Congress would oppose any measure that, according to the party, harmed the interests of Odisha.
The BJD, meanwhile, demanded that Mr Gond either resign or be dismissed by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi over alleged errors in textbooks for Classes I to VIII. The party said responsibility should be fixed for the lapses.
The controversy followed an inquiry into 1,731 errors identified in government textbooks. The inquiry report pointed to shortcomings in the review process, including instances where the same resource persons were assigned multiple roles in writing, reviewing and proofreading textbooks.
The ruling BJP rejected the Opposition's allegations, saying the government had already taken action on the textbook issue and corrected textbooks were being distributed.
On the MMDR issue, BJP legislator Manoranjan Dyan Samantara said the government was ready for a discussion on the floor of the House. He accused the Opposition of disrupting proceedings instead of using available mechanisms such as the adjournment motion and Zero Hour.
The BJP also alleged that the Opposition was seeking political mileage through the protests, while Congress and BJD maintained that the issues they had raised concerned the interests of the people of Odisha.