The Odisha Assembly today passed a resolution disapproving the way the PMO had treated the speaker's letter written recently to the prime minister seeking an appointment on behalf of a House committee to discuss enhancement of MSP for paddy.
There had been no response from the Prime Minister's Office on the letter written by Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat, ruling party MLAs alleged in the Assembly.
The state had demanded Rs 2930 as the MSP per quintal of paddy, but the Centre announced Rs 1550 for it. Odisha farmers have been hit by calamities such as drought, pest attack and unseasonal rain during kharif season.
After a marathon debate, the resolution was passed through voice vote with BJD and Congress members supporting it and BJP MLAs opposing.
The paddy MSP issue was debated in the Assembly on a motion moved by government chief whip Amar Prasad Satpathy, who criticised Prime Minister Modi for not meeting Odisha Assembly's House Committee to discuss the MSP on paddy.
"The House resolves to disapprove the way the letter of the speaker addressed to the Ho'ble Prime Minister was treated," Satpathy said in the motion.
It was also resolved that the House Committee headed by the Speaker should meet President Ram Nath Kovind to submit a memorandum for enhancing the MSP of paddy.
"It is a mockery towards the people of Odisha as the Prime Minister's Office did not acknowledge the letter of the speaker," Satpathy said.
Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment Minister Damodar Rout said it is unfortunate that Prime Minister does not pay any heed towards the interest of farmers in a state.
Narendra Modi should realise that he is the Prime Minister of India and not of the BJP, he said.
Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra of the Congress read out BJP's election manifesto where it had promised to raise MSP of agricultural products by one-and-half time the cost of production.
He said the House Committee should now meet the President and apprise him of the plight of the state's farmers as the Centre announced only Rs 1550 as the MSP per quintal of paddy against the state's demand of Rs 2930 per quintal.
Countering the charges levelled by the Congress and the BJD, BJP Legislature party leader K V Singhdeo alleged that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has forgotten promises made to the farmers.
The BJD since 2000 had been promising to irrigate 35 per cent of the state's agricultural land but it was not kept in its 17 years of rule, he said.
Singhdeo also asked the state government why it did not make bonus provision for farmers as was made by many BJP ruled states.
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