BJP MLA attempts to drink sanitiser in Odisha Assembly over mandi issue

Bhubaneswar:  The uproar over paddy procurement turned uglier as BJP MLA Subash Chandra Panigrahi reportedly attempted suicide in the House during Budget Session of Odisha Assembly today.

The legislator from Deogarh Constituency tried to consume sanitizer to end life when Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare, Co-operation Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain was replying to the House in the afternoon.

The members including BK Arukha and Pramila Mallick managed to prevent Panigrahi from taking extreme step in the House.

“We should raise the  farmers’ issue in Assembly. But, such act in the House is not acceptable,” said BJD MLA Ananta Das, who represents Bhograi Assembly Constituency outside the Assembly.

Reacting to the incident, Panigrahi said, “As I had threatened to immolate self earlier over the issue, I repeated it today too. I attempted suicide by drinking sanitiser in the House.”

“As the State Government is not responding to opposition party’s demands, I had no option to put forth the issues of farmers. Whatever the statements are being made by the ministers as well as the ruling by Speaker in the Holy House, everything seem to be meaningless. It is very difficult for us to face the farmers when we are visiting our constituencies as the people’s representatives. The paddies are found lying in mandis. The authorities have failed to procure the produces from the farmers. The debt-ridden farmers are dying everyday. It is better for us to die by suicide,” he said revealing the reason behind taking extreme step.

However, the legislator is stated to be in good condition following suicide attempt.

“The doctor examined my health conditions and I am extremely well now,” Panigrahi said.

In the morning, the BJP members had stalled the House raising the mandi mismanagement issue following which the Speaker adjourned the House till 4.00 PM. As soon as the proceedings began in the afternoon and Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain was making his statement in the House, Panigrahi reportedly attempted to kill self by consuming hand sanitiser. Earlier in the morning, he had threatened self-immolation to mount pressure on the State Government.

Reacting to pandemonium in the House over farmers’ issue, senior Congress leader Narasingha Mishra termed the State Government’s statement a ‘farce’.

Paddy procurement in the state is in a disarray . Lots of paddy still not cleared from the mandis and the minister’s statement on the floor in the previous session was a farce.

— Narasingha Mishra (@NarasinghMishra) March 12, 2021

In the House, he had staged protest during first session demanding the statement from the Government over the irregularities in paddy procurement.

Earlier during first session of the Budget in February , the BJP MLA had threatened to immolate self over alleged irregularities in paddy procurement in the State.