BJD Slams Odisha Govt Over Paddy Procurement, Law & Order

(MENAFN- IANS) Bhubaneswar, Jan 25 (IANS) The opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Sunday slammed the state government over mismanagement in paddy procurement and the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state, announcing state-wide protest demonstrations from February 2 to 17.

At a press conference held at Sankha Bhavan, BJD headquarters, the party's senior deputy chairperson Devi Prasad Mishra alleged,“the government cheated farmers on seed distribution. Now, after paddy production, the government is unable to properly conduct the paddy procurement process, leaving farmers across the state facing immense hardships.”

Mishra also stated that after the BJP assumed power, the law-and-order situation has been deteriorating in the state. The party's farmers' cell convener and Deputy Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly, Prasanna Acharya, accused that it would be no exaggeration to state that for the first time this year, the paddy procurement system in the state has completely collapsed.

“While 19 lakh 66 thousand 181 farmers have registered in the state this year, so far only 29 percent of farmers have been able to procure just 25 lakh metric tons out of the targeted 73 lakh metric tons-34 percent of the target. This is a stark indicator of the government's utter failure,” said Acharya.

He added that although Rabi paddy cultivation has already begun in the irrigated areas of the state, Kharif paddy procurement has not yet been completed. Now, the government says this procurement will continue until March. Acharya noted that if Kharif paddy procurement is further delayed, farmers will be unable to arrange funds for Rabi paddy cultivation. He stated that despite being smaller and producing less paddy, Chhattisgarh has already procured 1.26 lakh metric tons against its 80-lakh-ton target, highlighting the Odisha government's failure in paddy procurement.

Meanwhile, senior BJD leader Arun Kumar Sahu alleged that Odisha's law and order situation has turned chaotic, with over 40,000 women facing various atrocities. He noted that the rising communal tensions in the state are disrupting the state's long-held peace and harmony.

“Therefore, under the direction of the Biju Janata Dal president, the party has decided to hold protest demonstrations in every district from February 2 to 17, followed by a massive protest rally in the capital Bhubaneswar on February 24,” Sahu announced.

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