Opposition misleading people with false information in Odisha: CM Naveen Patnaik

Patnaik said that BJD is working for the poor, women, youth, SCs and STs, but the opposition parties are not happy with Odisha’s development journey

Published on: Oct 2, 2023, 14:23:15 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday kickstarted his party Biju Janata Dal’s (BJD) 2024 election campaign and flagged off the month-long padyatra in the state.

Patnaik hit out the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress accusing them of being anti-people.

Patnaik said that BJD is working for the poor, women, youth, SCs and STs, but the opposition parties are not happy with Odisha’s development journey.

Also Read:Naveen Patnaik’s ‘8/10’ for Modi govt contrasts with BJP’s ‘Zero’ for BJD in Odisha

“They are misleading people with false information. It happens whenever elections come. But people always have rejected them,” said Patnaik.

“The Opposition are trying to stall and conspire against the Lord Jagannath and Lingaraj temple project,” he said, adding that the people of the state will never forgive them for this.

Patnaik said the passing of the women’s reservation bill was the party’s long-standing demand which has materialised.

From Monday onwards, party workers will undertake padyatra across all the 314 blocks of the state till October 11.

BJP MLA Suraj Suryawanshi dismissed the charges levelled by Patnaik.

“In the last 23 years of BJD’s governance, the state registered over 1,300 murders and 3,100 rapes every year. The state ranks 14th in development of infrastructure and 13th in law-and-order situation in the country. Lakhs of people are staging demonstrations at Lower PMG square of Bhubaneswar. If the Odisha government claims that grievances cell has reached people’s doorstep, then why are people forced to stage demonstrations in Bhubaneswar,” said Suryawanshi.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Sudarsan Das said he was surprised over Patnaik’s accusations.

“I urge him to respect democracy and the Opposition acts as a shadow government bringing to fore the loopholes of the government. The CM should introspect that there is no internal democracy in BJD,” said Das.

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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