Bhubaneswar, Mar 16: Compelled by repeated adjournments, Speaker Dr. Surya Narayan Patro today convened an all party meeting to resolve the impasse. The meeting is on and the House stands adjourned to facilitate the meeting.

However, Congress members walked out of the meeting alleging that the meeting did not discuss paddy issue rather it discussed about BJP MLA Subash Panigrahi’s apology raised by the ruling party members.

The House is in limbo over the paddy procurement issue since the beginning of the second phase of the ongoing Budget Session that began on March 12.

Aggrieved over failure of the government to purchase paddy from farmers, on Friday  BJP MLA Subash Panigrahi had attempted suicide in the House by consuming hand sanitiser. Since then the House is on turmoil. While the Opposition BJP members have been insisting on the government announcement to purchase all the paddy stock from farmers, the ruling BJD MLAs have been demanding apology from Panigrahi to the House as he has ”destroyed the sanctity of the Assembly”.

On the other hand, the Congress has been alleging that both ruling BJD and Opposition BJP are in hand in glove to stall the House. “They don’t want to run the House as both are responsible for the paddy procurement. So they are making farce,” said Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati.