Naveen Patnaik attacks Odisha BJP, says it’s ‘demeaning great sons of the soil’

Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal dismissed Patnaik’s remarks as ‘political rhetoric’, adding that it was unbecoming of a former CM to make such remarks

Published on: Apr 17, 2025, 18:42:55 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Bhubaneswar: Former Odisha chief minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik on Thursday said the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government should focus on the state’s growth and development instead of “demeaning the great sons of the soil”.

Biju Janata Dal president Naveen Patnaik pays floral tribute to his father and former Odisha chief minister Biju Patnaik on his death anniversary in Bhubaneswar on April 17 (PTI)

“Attempts are also being made to change history, but they should remember that history reflects the connecting experience of a nation over a period of time. It cannot be changed at anybody’s pleasure,” Patnaik said at a gathering of party workers on the occasion of Biju Patnaik’s death anniversary on Thursday.

Patnaik did not name the BJP or the state government led by chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi in his speech that comes against the backdrop of vandalisation of Biju Patnaik’s statues in Bolangir and Cuttack and renaming at least a dozen schemes over the last 10 months that had been originally named after Naveen’s father and former chief minister Biju Patnaik.

Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal said Patnaik’s accusations were politically motivated. “We hold immense respect for Biju Patnaik, and today is meant for people to offer their tributes to him. His (Naveen Patnaik’s) statements are political rhetoric, and I think it is unbecoming of a former chief minister to make such remarks,” he said.

Patnaik is likely to be elected unopposed as the BJD president for the ninth time on April 19. He filed his nomination for the party’s top post. No one else from the party has filed against him.

The BJD, however, has been unable to name presidents of 15 districts following differences in the party after some of its Rajya Sabha MPs voted in favour of Waqf law. There are murmurs that some BJD leaders are discussing plans to float a new political front on Monday.

Senior BJD MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain has written to the BJD chief, calling for structural reforms within the BJD on the ground that the party had moved away from its social base. In his letter, Swain urged Patnaik not let a few individuals “hijack the BJD and distort the social fabric or deepen regional imbalance”.

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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