Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday said every action of an elected government is being seen from a political angle while every crime is politicised. The chief minister said that such an atmosphere is one of the biggest threats to the pace of development and peace in the country.
Addressing the NITI Aayog’s governing council meeting on Saturday through virtual mode, Patnaik said though elections are an essential feature of democracy, once elected, a government is meant to work for people, beyond the party line.
"It is high time that we, as a country, have serious introspection on whether we are able to do the same,” said Patnaik, in an apparent dig at the controversy over draft heritage bylaws issued by the National Monument Authority for the Jagannath temple in Puri and Anant Basudeva temple and Brahmeswar temple of Bhubaneswar.
Patnaik's dig was also aimed at the opposition BJP that has made the alleged rape and murder of a five-year-old girl of Nayagarh district and murder of a veteran BJP leader and his associate in Cuttack district a major issue demanding the scalp of two senior BJD ministers.
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{{/usCountry}}Patnaik has been clearly unhappy with the NMA draft bylaws that have upset his plans of development of the area around Jagannath temple in Puri and Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar. In Puri, he has unveiled the Srikehtra Heritage Corridor development project with the Jagannath temple at its centre, while in Bhubaneswar he wants to develop the area around the 11th century Lingaraj temple under the Ekamra Kshetra Development project.
After he wrote to the Union culture minister demanding the withdrawal of the draft heritage bylaw for Jagannath temple, it was withdrawn on February 8. Similarly, the Union culture ministry has put on hold the two draft heritage bylaws of Ananta Basudeva temple and Brahmeswar temple a week after he urged for its withdrawal.
The Odisha CM also raised the issue of Niti Aayog taking along neglected regions and populations. "Committed and targeted action is needed for that. Specific sections that need to focus on issues like malnutrition, connectivity, sex ratio imbalances," he said. In today's meeting, Patnaik again raised the issue of women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. “National parties had promised women’s reservation both in the Lok Sabha and the Assemblies. History will not forgive us if we renege on this commitment. This calls for serious deliberation and taking it forward.”
Patnaik also raised the important issues of re-evaluating the examination pattern of national-level exams such as the UPSC exam, the NEET and the JEE, stressing that they were heavily dependent on highly paid coaching classes. "A critical look is needed to re-evaluate the examination pattern for these prestigious and highly sought-after exams. Should not we have exams that focus on equality and attracting merit? This will truly eliminate merit in the long run and deny justice to lakhs of our children who live in rural areas and don’t have physical or economic access to coaching classes. NITI Aayog should look into this very serious issue or else in a few years’ there will be serious distortions," he said.
Regarding Covid-19, Patnaik said it was a challenge for the world and India showed with its unified response what was possible. “European countries and the United States could not put up a unified front. History will remember us of what our response has been on critical issues affecting our people and the country, raising above political considerations. The same unified response and inclusive approach should be adopted for all major challenges facing the country in the true spirit of cooperative federalism,” he said.