Tensions flared in the Odisha Legislative Assembly as BJD MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain and Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, the Raja of Patangarh, engaged in a heated verbal exchange over paddy procurement and cold storage issues.
Clash During Discussion on SAR Scheme
The confrontation erupted while members were debating the SAR (Summer and Anticipatory Rice) scheme. Swain, taking aim at the BJP government, remarked,
“A government that failed to implement SAR, how can it promise cold storage facilities?”
Deputy CM Deo quickly responded, defending his administration while turning the criticism back on Swain:
“You, as a Minister of Agriculture in the last government, didn’t build any cold storage units, so why do you ask?”
Accusations and Counterclaims
Deo described the opposition’s protests as a “manufactured agitation” and highlighted the BJP government’s success in procuring over 2 lakh metric tonnes of paddy for farmers. He challenged Swain by asking,
“How many MLAs from your side have actually visited the procurement sites to verify the ground reality?”
In a final sarcastic jab, Deo added,
“While you were doing cold storage, we were not; you will see how we do it now.”
Political and Farmer Implications
The heated exchange, marked by references to nobility and sharp accusations, brought intense energy to the House. Farmers of Odisha continue to face delays in payments and storage shortages, and this confrontation signals a widening divide between the ruling BJP and the opposition BJD, hinting at more clashes in future assembly sessions.