Day Not Far When Odisha Might End Up in Bankruptcy: BJD MP Targets BJP

Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Sasmit Patra on Friday hit out the BJP -led government in Odisha saying that the saffron party is pushing the state towards an economic doldrums and the day is not too far when it might end up in bankruptcy.

Targeting the BJP-led government in the state, Sasmit Patra said that when former chief minister Naveen Patnaik left office, after the BJD lost Assembly elections, he left the government with Rs 48,000 crore in the treasury as surplus but the BJP after coming to power has pushed the state towards political and economic doldrums.

“Odisha as an economy was in the doldrums with complete bankruptcy when Naveen Babu took over as Chief Minister in the year 2000. In the last 24 years between 2000 to 2024, former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik ensured that the state went into a budget surplus state. When he left office, he left more than Rs 48,000 crores in the treasury as surplus. Unfortunately, the present BJP government in Odisha, is pushing the state towards a form of political and economic doldrums and the day is not far that the state might end up in bankruptcy...A lack of vision and action is going to pose a major problem for the state of Odisha in the coming days,” said Sasmit Patra.

Two days back also, Sasmit Patra had attacked the BJP government as he tried to build pressure to conduct a caste census. Patra pressed the government asking it to initiate both – general and caste-based census in the state.

"BJD and our leader Naveen Patnaik have always been advocating for a caste census as well, apart from the census. The census should have taken place by 2021. Post-COVID, it was decided that it would be done later. But we are hoping by this year, the starting, it should have started. But the census itself has not started. Based on the census, delimitation is supposed to happen. So, the terms of reference of delimitation need to be identified - whether it will be based on population on other demographic factors. Unless that is determined, it becomes very difficult to ascertain..," Sasmit Patra had said.

BJD slams BJP for changing date of Panchayati Raj Diwas in state

Earlier today, the members of the BJD staged a protest outside the Odisha Assembly against the state government's decision to change the date of Panchayati Raj Diwas from March 5 to April 24.

The BJP government said that it will observe March 5 as the former CM's birth anniversary and not as 'Panchayati Raj Day,' as has been celebrated for decades. Further, there would be no government holiday on March 5, according to a statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

Though March 5 has been celebrated as 'Panchayati Raj Divas' in Odisha every year, this time, the day will be observed on April 24, in alignment with the national observance, it said.

With inputs from ANI