Bhubaneswar, March 10 -- A heated exchange broke out between the BJD and BJP in the Odisha Assembly on Tuesday over the issue of drinking water during Question Hour, briefly disrupting proceedings in the House.

The tense situation arose while Panchayati Raj Minister Rabi Narayan Naik was responding to queries raised by members. The confrontation began after MLA Durga Prasanna Nayak asked a supplementary question regarding drinking water supply.

Responding to the query, the Minister criticised the previous government, stating that while the former administration installed 26,000 tubewells over 24 years, the current government has installed the same number within just one year.

He said a Mega Piped Water Supply (PWS) project has been pla...