Odisha Assembly Session 2026 / Odisha Assembly Proceedings Washed Out For 4th Consecutive Day

Bhubaneswar, Sep 25: The Odisha Assembly remained paralysed for the fourth consecutive day on Friday as opposition parties mounted a united offensive against the government over the MMDR (Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, recently passed by both the Houses of the Parliament.

Despite repeated attempts by Deputy Speaker Bhabani Shankar Bhoi to restore order, proceedings were stalled amid noisy protests and walkouts.

Question Hour could continue for barely four to five minutes before pandemonium broke out, with legislators of the BJD and Congress storming into the well, raising slogans, and climbing onto the reporters’ table. Deputy Speaker Bhoi was forced to adjourn the House till 4 PM.

Outside the Assembly, BJD MLAs marched to AG Square in the city and distributed leaflets to the public highlighting their opposition to the MMDR Amendment Act. Congress legislators also staged demonstrations, accusing the government of adopting “double standards” on mining policy.

Speaking to media persons, Leader of Opposition and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik criticised the ruling BJP MPs in the Lok Sabha for supporting the Amendment Act. “Why blame others, when 20 BJP Lok Sabha MPs from Odisha supported this bill in Parliament? We in the BJD will take this up strongly with the state government to pause and see that it is revised thoroughly,” Patnaik said, warning that the Act in its current form would result in significant revenue loss for Odisha.

Senior Congress leader Tara Prasad Bahinipati targeted the BJP‑led Union government, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “snatched away the rights of the state.” He urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to bring legislation in the Assembly to ensure the MMDR Amendment Act is not implemented in Odisha.

Also Read: Odisha Assembly Needs Debate, Not Disruption

Deputy Speaker’s all‑party meeting in the afternoon failed to break the deadlock. BJP leaders accused the opposition of deliberately paralysing the House to gain political mileage. “The government is ready for discussion, but the opposition is avoiding debate and resorting to theatrics,” said BJP MLA Jaynarayan Mishra.

With tempers running high, both BJD and Congress have announced plans to intensify their agitation by gheraoing the Assembly on September 28 and 29. The ongoing seventh session of the 17th Odisha Legislative Assembly, scheduled from September 22 to October 3, has already lost four working days to disruptions.