Bhubaneswar: The opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Thursday launched a month-long, state-wide Jan Sampark Padayatra to “make people aware” of what it called the failures of Odisha’s BJP government.
Traditionally held from Gandhi Jayanti, the BJD’s annual outreach programme began later this year due to the Dussehra festivities, party senior vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra said. The foot march will cover all 147 Assembly constituencies and 314 blocks of the state, concluding on November 9.
The programme was inaugurated at Sakhigopal in Puri district, where senior BJD leaders paid floral tributes to the statues of the Panch Sakha — the five 16th-century poet-saints Achyutananda Das, Ananta Das, Jasovanta Das, Jagannatha Das and Balarama Das. The march then proceeded from Balapur to Suando village, the birthplace of Utkalamani Gopabandhu Das, the noted freedom fighter and social reformer.
Opposition Chief Whip Pramila Mallik said the party’s campaign would highlight issues such as deteriorating law and order, women’s safety, and the alleged “misleading promises” made under the BJP’s Subhadra scheme. “The government has only renamed existing welfare schemes and failed to address people’s problems in the last 15 months,” she alleged, adding that the BJP’s promise to make Odisha alcohol-free has remained “a hollow claim.”
Mishra said the BJD will also draw attention to what it describes as the state’s shortcomings in ensuring timely fertiliser supply to farmers and in delivering quality healthcare after the replacement of Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana with Ayushman Bharat.
This marks the first time the Jan Sampark Padayatra is being held while the BJD is in Opposition. Former Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik, who traditionally inaugurated the event each year, was not present this time.
“People’s faith remains unshaken, and BJD continues to voice their concerns,” said former minister and Bhubaneswar unit president Ashok Panda. The party, in a post on X, urged people to join the month-long campaign to “stand united for the rights and entitlements of Odisha’s citizens.”
Meanwhile, Panchayati Raj Minister and senior BJP leader Rabi Narayan Naik criticised the BJD for “politicising” Utkalamani Gopabandhu Das’ legacy. “The BJP government has delivered on most of its promises in the past 15 months. The BJD’s attempt to start its campaign from Utkalamani’s birthplace is clearly aimed at deriving political mileage,” Naik said.
