BJD and Congress Clash Over School Book Mistakes and MDRA 2026 Amendment

Bhubaneswar, September 23 – In a heated episode on the second day of the state assembly’s monsoon session, opposition parties BJD and Congress confronted the ruling government over two critical issues: inaccuracies in state‑issued school textbooks and the passage of the MDRA Amendment Act 2026.

When the question‑hour was called, the opposition rushed to the speaker’s podium with banners, demanding that the Education Minister Nityanand Gond resign and that the MDRA amendment be withdrawn.

Deputy Speaker Bhavani Shankar Bhoi’s attempts to keep the house on schedule were thwarted by persistent chants and interruptions, leading to a suspension of proceedings until 4 p.m.

BJD MLA Sharada Prasanna Jena asserted that the government had failed to assume responsibility for the textbook error, emphasizing that students would sit for exams in fifteen days without corrected material.

Congress leader Rama Chandra Kadam reiterated that the party would continue to press for a full repeal of the MDRA amendment, whether inside the assembly, in the parliament or on public streets.

The BJP blamed the opposition’s tactics on political motives, claiming they were trying to hijack the session to focus attention on a regional protest demanding the minister’s removal.

According to BJP MLA Manas Kumar Dutta, the BJD had initially moved a motion for a formal debate, which the speaker had accepted, but the opposition chose to block the discussion instead of engaging constructively.