Budget 2024: BJD protests ‘complete neglect’ of Odisha, walks out of Rajya Sabha

BJD's Sasmit Patra said that Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha have been demanding ‘special status,’ but special funds were allocated only to the first two.

Updated on: Jul 23, 2024, 17:09:22 IST

By HT News Desk, New Delhi

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Ex-Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Tuesday walked out of the Rajya Sabha, accusing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of ‘completely neglecting’ the coastal state.

BJD MP Sasmit Patra speaks in the Rajya Sabha during the Monsoon session of Parliament. Sitting next to him is Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman(ANI photo)

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Dr. Sasmit Patra, a Rajya Sabha member from the BJD, pointed to how Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Budget speech, made ‘special announcements’ for both Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, but none for Odisha; parties in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha, have been demanding a ‘special status’ for their respective states .

“All the BJD MPs walked out of the Rajya Sabha today when the Union Budget was being laid, strongly protesting the continued neglect of Odisha in the Union Budget. Before walking out, the BJD MPs strongly said in the House that they are walking out due to denial of Special Category State status to Odisha,” Patra posted on X (formerly Twitter).

“The two states (Andhra Pradesh and Bihar) got Special additional funds while Odisha's demand was not considered. Probably this is the punishment meted out to Odisha for electing 20 Lok Sabha BJP MPs out of 21 MPs from Odisha and the reward to the BJP allies from Bihar and Andhra Pradesh,” he added.

The BJD, which despite being an opposition party, frequently lent ‘issue-based support’ to the BJP government at the Centre, has started participating in opposition walkouts in the Parliament. In the recent assembly election in the state, BJD was voted out after being in power for over 20 years and party chief Naveen Patnaik failed to become chief minister for what would have been his sixth consecutive term in office; the BJP formed its first government in the state.

Meanwhile, at the Centre, the support of Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United), is extremely crucial for the BJP as they contribute 28 Lok Sabha seats (16 and 12 respectively) to the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) tally of 293 seats; without them, the BJP-led NDA would be at 265, seven short of the majority mark in the 543-member House.

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