Bhubaneswar: Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led Odisha government on Tuesday, accusing it of failing on multiple fronts in its first year in power. Addressing Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leaders at Sankha Bhavan in Bhubaneswar, Patnaik questioned the state’s development trajectory under Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
“Development doesn’t come from long speeches and glossy advertisements,” Patnaik remarked, criticizing what he called a government driven more by image than substance. He argued that the real voices of the people were being ignored, even as the administration claimed to be people-centric.
Highlighting what he called a “collapse” of the healthcare system, Patnaik pointed to the decline of services once offered under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY). “Today, despite Ayushman Bharat, patients are not receiving medicines or free treatment,” he said. He added that 19 of 30 Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) posts remain vacant, affecting lakhs of people including mothers, cancer patients, and the elderly.
Patnaik also took aim at the state’s handling of Mission Shakti, a flagship women’s empowerment program started under the BJD regime. “Seventy lakh women were empowered under our government. Today, their self-confidence is broken. Many who once travelled to Dubai and Singapore as part of women-led entrepreneurship missions now sit hopeless at home,” he said.
Turning to agrarian issues, the former Chief Minister alleged that the government has failed to deliver on its electoral promises to farmers. “What happened to the assurances of ending middlemen and ensuring MSP for all? Farmers are now at the mercy of millers, and even getting agricultural loans has become difficult,” he said. He also claimed that several irrigation projects initiated under the BJD had been stalled.
Reflecting on the state’s financial legacy, Patnaik said, “When BJD assumed office in 2000, Odisha was under a debt of ₹18,000 crore and dependent on overdrafts. By 2024, we handed over a surplus of ₹45,000 crore. Now, the state is back to record borrowings.”
He added that under the BJD’s leadership, Odisha had seen a dramatic fall in poverty from 63.83% in 2005–06 to 11.07% by 2023, lifting over one crore people above the poverty line.
Concluding his address, Patnaik reaffirmed BJD’s role as a constructive and responsible opposition. “The people have given us a mandate, and we will honour it by continuing to serve them with integrity and commitment,” he said, urging party workers to stay connected with the grassroots and highlight real issues.
