Odisha Assembly adjourned till 4 pm, Opposition alleges bid to 'saffronise' Mission Shakti

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly was adjourned till 4 pm on Wednesday as opposition BJD and Congress members created a ruckus, accusing the BJP government in the state of trying to "saffronise" Mission Shakti by restructuring its executive committee.

As soon as the House assembled for Question Hour, members of both the BJD and the Congress trooped into the well and raised slogans against the BJP government.

Senior BJD member Ranendra Pratap Swain alleged that the state government was trying to restructure the executive committee of Mission Shakti and include BJP members in the panel.

BJD member Dhruva Charan Sahu claimed that the state government has written to all the district collectors to restructure the executive committee of Mission Shakti.

While agitating BJD members showed placards, Congress member Taraprasad Bahinipati was seen attempting to climb the Speaker's podium.

Unable to run the House, Speaker Surama Padhy adjourned the House till 4 pm. The House could function only for two minutes.

The BJD members later staged a dharna near Mahatma Gandhi statue on the assembly premises, protesting the government's move to restructure the Mission Shakti organisation.

Mission Shakti is a platform aimed at social, economic and political empowerment of women through involving them in self-help groups (SHGs). It was launched in the state on March 8, 2001, by the then chief minister Naveen Patnaik.