Bhubaneswar, Dec. 2 -- In a dramatic turn of events inside the Odisha Legislative Assembly on Monday, senior BJD legislator and eight-time MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain tore a copy of the resolution adopting the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Act, 2024, triggering uproar and a walkout by Opposition members.

The resolution, moved by Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia, was passed through a voice vote amid loud protests from the BJD and Congress. As the minister responded to the proposal, Swain stood in strong dissent, ripped the document, and threw it away before storming out of the House with other Opposition members.

Opposition leaders alleged that the amendment favours corporate i...