Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Thursday accused the BJP government in Odisha of failing to fulfil its electoral promises and resorting to personal attacks against senior political leaders instead of addressing public concerns.
Addressing a press conference at Sankha Bhawan here, BJD media coordinator Lenin Mohanty alleged that the ruling party had failed to deliver on its promises across sectors and was now engaging in political mudslinging out of frustration.
Mohanty criticised recent remarks by Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida and other BJP leaders concerning the age of BJD president and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik, describing them as unfortunate and reflective of political intolerance.
He said differences in political ideologies should not be used as a pretext to make personal remarks against senior leaders who had devoted decades to public service.
Questioning the BJP’s stance on the issue, Mohanty pointed out that Patnaik, aged 80, was only three years older than Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. He asked whether the BJP would consider it appropriate if similar remarks were made about its own senior leaders.
Mohanty also defended Patnaik’s recent social media post seeking a review of the judicial custody of Ashutosh Rajan and Saurav Das and calling for their immediate release.
He said the BJD president’s appeal reflected his commitment to justice, democratic values and individual liberty. Claiming that lakhs of people had supported the appeal, Mohanty said both young leaders were released within 24 hours of Patnaik’s post.
The BJD leader said the episode demonstrated the significance of the issues raised by Patnaik and the public response to his appeal.
Describing the former chief minister as a statesman known for his simplicity, dignity and dedication to Odisha, Mohanty said senior political leaders deserved respect irrespective of ideological differences.
He further alleged that the BJP government had failed to meet the expectations of people who voted for it in the hope of political change, effective governance and greater economic opportunities.
The BJD demanded that the state government focus on governance, respond to questions raised by the public and provide a clear account of the progress made in implementing its electoral promises.
The allegations were made by the opposition party at the press conference. The claims regarding the government’s performance and the impact of Patnaik’s social media appeal were not independently verified.
