Naveen Patnaik assigns 50 BJD MLAs to shadow BJP govt departments in Odisha

The BJD’s move is similar to Britain’s Westminster system, where senior members of the Opposition mark each member of the cabinet by specialising in each of their portfolios

Published on: Jul 17, 2024, 20:42:05 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha on Wednesday assigned 50 of its 51 MLAs various state government departments for monitoring the policies and programmes being implemented by the first-ever Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state.

BJD president and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik distributed the assignments among his party MLAs ahead of the upcoming budget session of the state legislative assembly, which is scheduled to begin on July 22. The move is seen as not just keeping a check on the Mohan Majhi government, but also an attempt to keep the party united.

“The Opposition works as a watchdog of public interests in a democracy. By keeping a close watch on the performance of various departments of the state government and actively participating in the discussions related to them in the Assembly, it can help protect the rights of the people of the state as well as voice their concerns. Accordingly, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Naveen Patnaik has given responsibility to 50 elected members of the BJD to monitor various programmes of the departments,” said a statement issued by the party.

While former finance minister Prasanna Acharya has been asked to monitor the finance department, former energy minister Pratap Deb will deal with General Administration & Public Grievance, two important departments looked after by chief minister Mohan Majhi. Former minister Niranjan Pujari will monitor home, food, supplies & consumer welfare departments while senior BJD MLA and former agriculture minister Ranendra Pratap Swain will monitor revenue & disaster management departments.

With most of the ministers in the Mohan Majhi government including CM Majhi himself are inexperienced, experts said the more experienced BJD leaders would be able to hold the new government accountable.

Patnaik’s move is similar to Britain’s Westminster system, where senior members of the Opposition mark each member of the cabinet by specialising in each of their portfolios, critiquing the government’s decisions and offering alternatives.

To be sure, political parties such as the BJP and the Congress have attempted to experiment with shadow cabinets at a state level in the paste. The BJP tried forming shadow cabinets in Maharashtra, Goa, Punjab and Delhi when it was in the opposition. In 2014, the Congress also formed a shadow cabinet in Madhya Pradesh to keep a close watch on Shivraj Singh Chouhan government but its outcome is unclear.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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