As Odisha’s budget session looms from February 17, Congress is sharpening its knives to expose government shortcomings across social strata. A pre-session caucus of Congress MLAs in the assembly complex dissected tactics to dominate debates on critical fronts.
Addressing reporters, OPCC president Bhakt Charan Das underscored the opposition’s duty to amplify citizen concerns and pin down the ruling dispensation’s lapses. The agenda packs heavy punches: farmer betrayals, toxic industrial effluents causing displacement, the lingering Mahanadi row, pushes for gratis farm power and consumer tax cuts, safeguarding women, job scarcity for youth, and reservation frauds hitting marginalized communities.
Congress vows to revisit the government’s broken election pledges. Attendees included CLP head Ramchandra Kadam, co-incharge Jetti Kusum Kumar, and the full MLA roster. BJD and Congress are aligning to squeeze the government, zeroing in on paddy purchase mayhem.
Naveen Patnaik urged BJD lawmakers to spotlight agrarian distress and crumbling security. Speaker Surama Padhi’s all-party conclave paved the way for orderly conduct. Post-Governor’s speech and discussions, the budget drops February 20. Spanning two phases with 28 days, the session wraps April 8.